1
as in swaying
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 seesawing
The clearest example of the two companies’ seesawing outlooks is in performance running.
—
Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
This includes soaring gas prices at the pump, seesawing stock markets, rising food and fertilizer prices, higher shipping-insurance costs, and fuel shortages that have touched off violence, work stoppages, and profiteering in parts of Asia and Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Armchair investors have endured several stomach-churning days in March, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones averages seesawing in response to the Iran war, surging gas prices and inflation fears.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
The back-and-forth sent oil prices and stock markets seesawing.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
The seesawing decisions by Jones Dickson came during a hearing Monday, when Tran’s trial was expected to get underway with his case being assigned a trial judge.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Jim Cramer warns investors to stay the path and avoid seesawing between the wrong narratives about the Federal Reserve needing to lower interest rates to avoid a recession.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
This includes soaring gas prices at the pump, seesawing stock markets, rising food and fertilizer prices, higher shipping-insurance costs, and fuel shortages that have touched off violence, work stoppages, and profiteering in parts of Asia and Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Armchair investors have endured several stomach-churning days in March, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones averages seesawing in response to the Iran war, surging gas prices and inflation fears.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
The back-and-forth sent oil prices and stock markets seesawing.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
The seesawing decisions by Jones Dickson came during a hearing Monday, when Tran’s trial was expected to get underway with his case being assigned a trial judge.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Jim Cramer warns investors to stay the path and avoid seesawing between the wrong narratives about the Federal Reserve needing to lower interest rates to avoid a recession.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seesawing
Verb
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The sensation of swaying high above the ground might be impossible to quell at the World Cup.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
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The stream ended abruptly, but not before cameras captured Peters’ eyes seemingly rolling back in his head and his body swaying.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Two of them were bobbing a couple steps ahead for most of the 3,200-meter state championship race Thursday at Jeffco Stadium.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
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The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 007 floats quietly at the mouth of Ballona Creek, gently bobbing with the tide.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
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The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Shaggy was holding a squishy ball between his knees and pumping his arms up and down, making his whole body quiver.—
Natalie Meade,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Those are the longest plaudits of the festival, though Refn and cast were doing some cheerleading and pumping the crowd up after the lights went up, which likely prolonged the celebration.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
There is appreciation for not rocking the boat.—
Eric Adler
May 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
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And the Sabres are basically rocking the lite version of that, with Benson and Doan.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The other shows the two world leaders shaking hands.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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Rinse under cold water 1 minute, shaking to ensure a thorough rinse.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Seesawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seesawing. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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