Definition of seesaw
1 : an alternating up-and-down or backward-and-forward motion or movement; also : a contest or struggle in which now one side now the other has the lead
2a : a pastime in which two children or groups of children ride on opposite ends of a plank balanced in the middle so that one end goes up as the other goes downb : the plank or apparatus so used
seesaw
adjectiveIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of seesaw in a Sentence
Their relationship was an emotional seesaw.
Recent Examples of seesaw from the Web
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Participants leaped over hurdles, climbed walls, inched across a seesaw, and climbed ropes.
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Allison compared the relationship between the U.S. and China to a playground seesaw.
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Additional credit, of course, goes to the actor, Andrew Long, who at various points approximates Mr. Trump’s characteristic shrug-smirk-wince and his familiar seesaw of aggression and petulance.
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your moods can be like a seesaw.
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A legal seesawJurors deliberated for a total of about three hours before finding Braseel guilty of first-degree murder.
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A legal seesaw Jurors deliberated for a total of about three hours before finding Braseel guilty of first-degree murder.
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On Tuesday, the Lions came up short in a seesaw affair against The Master’s, which claimed a 14-11 triumph to advance to the championship round.
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During the 2016 campaign, both parties went back and forth on the FBI Director like a pair of kids going up and down on a playground seesaw.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seesaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of seesaw
probably from reduplication of 3saw
seesaw
Definition of seesaw
intransitive verb
1a : to move backward and forward or up and downb : to play at seesaw
2 : alternate seesaw between two activities
transitive verb
: to cause to move in seesaw fashion
Examples of seesaw in a Sentence
The lead seesawed between the two runners right up to the finish line.
as their boat seesawed in the rough water, the rescue team tried to get the passengers off the sinking ship
Recent Examples of seesaw from the Web
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But the state legislature's seesawing action on the cap has caused confusion and anger among some municipal leaders.
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Pundits of the composer’s era seesawed between seriously believing that coffee could stir male sexuality or cause impotence.
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The pick set up the touchdown that put Baltimore ahead 41-39 -- only for 30 seconds, but setting up the seesawing finale that ended in a 63-60 Brigade victory at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.
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Staff on base routinely flew smuggled alcohol onto the base in such high volumes that a plane once seesawed on the tarmac under the weight.
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A controversial pick out of Louisville in 2014 after the Eagles missed out on their initial targets, Smith seesawed between outside linebacker and inside linebacker as a rookie.
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With the junior auditoriums, the company hopes to attract a segment of the market that has seesawed in the past few years: people with young children.
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Russia is, of course, unlike Pakistan, but U.S.-Russia relations have seesawed, too, and Kislyak’s means were no different from what probably every ambassador of every country hopes to use, even if his ends were unique.
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Seppi, ranked 89th, rallied from two sets down and saved a match point to beat Kyrgios, 1-6, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8, in a seesawing match that featured that oddly-time ‘tweener.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seesaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of seesaw
1709
SEESAW Defined for English Language Learners
seesaw
playDefinition of seesaw for English Language Learners
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: a long, flat board that is balanced in the middle so that when one end goes up the other end goes down
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: a situation in which something keeps changing from one state to another and back again
seesaw
Definition of seesaw for English Language Learners
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: to keep changing from one state or condition to another and then back again
SEESAW Defined for Kids
Definition of seesaw for Students
1 : a plank for children to play on that is balanced in the middle on a raised bar with one end going up while the other goes down
2 : a situation in which something keeps changing from one state to another and back again
Definition of seesaw for Students
seesawed
;seesawing
: to keep changing from one state to another and back again
Learn More about seesaw
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See words that rhyme with seesaw Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for seesaw Spanish Central: Translation of seesaw Nglish: Translation of seesaw for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of seesaw for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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