1
as in lurched
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
as their boat seesawed in the rough water, the rescue team tried to get the passengers off the sinking ship
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Recent Examples of seesawed
Gas prices have seesawed in recent days, following news of a fragile ceasefire on April 8.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, oil prices seesawed during the early part of Monday's trading session.
—Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Oil prices seesawed overnight on fears that Iran will attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, even after an agreement Wednesday among nations to release a significant amount of petroleum reserves.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2026
In Miramar, Florida, Philip Myers, a Marine veteran, relied solely on his FreeStyle Libre, until the readings seesawed from the 50s to over 200 one evening in June.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 11 Mar. 2026
The way outflow mechanisms seesawed for this black hole suggests a natural mechanism of self-regulation, and that jets and winds compete for the same matter.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
But the policy soon seesawed again.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The attorney general's power has seesawed in recent years.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, oil prices seesawed during the early part of Monday's trading session.
—Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Oil prices seesawed overnight on fears that Iran will attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, even after an agreement Wednesday among nations to release a significant amount of petroleum reserves.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2026
In Miramar, Florida, Philip Myers, a Marine veteran, relied solely on his FreeStyle Libre, until the readings seesawed from the 50s to over 200 one evening in June.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 11 Mar. 2026
The way outflow mechanisms seesawed for this black hole suggests a natural mechanism of self-regulation, and that jets and winds compete for the same matter.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
But the policy soon seesawed again.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The attorney general's power has seesawed in recent years.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seesawed
Verb
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Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Crews then raced to recover the astronauts aboard the vehicle, which bobbed for a few hours in the Pacific Ocean near California.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Draped across a sumptuous velvet chaise longue within the art deco splendour of Eltham Palace, Susie Cave is moonlighting as a fabulous Biba-bobbed lady of the manor.—
Alice Newbold,
Vogue,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They were swayed by a local program launched by city-LAB UCLA, a center founded by the University of California, Los Angeles' Architecture and Urban Design Department, which included a showcase of six prefab housing options and a guide to help navigate the process and secure financing.—
Vanessa Romo,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
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The criticism, from Shirley, his supporters, and California Republicans, has not swayed Democratic state lawmakers.—
Andrew Graham
April 26,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The prosecutor said Chairez-Campos pumped multiple rounds into the unarmed victim’s body before making a move to flee and then returning to shoot him one more time in the head, Gennawey said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Radiation pumped into the night sky.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Haitian immigrants became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield, on the power play, had spotted Montreal a 2-0 lead as the Bell Centre absolutely rocked again in the anticipation and hope that perhaps their team might take a 3-1 lead over the favoured Lightning.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Seesawed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seesawed. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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