seesaw

[ see-saw ]

noun

1. a recreation in which two children alternately ride up and down while seated at opposite ends of a plank balanced at the middle.
2. a plank or apparatus for this recreation.
3. an up-and-down or a back-and-forth movement or procedure.
4. Whist. a crossruff.

adjective

1. moving up and down, back and forth, or alternately ahead and behind:

   It was a seesaw game with the lead changing hands many times.

verb (used without object)

1. to move in a seesaw manner:

   The boat seesawed in the heavy sea.

2. to ride or play on a seesaw.
3. to keep changing one's decision, opinion, or attitude; vacillate.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to move in a seesaw manner.

seesaw

/ ˈsiːˌsɔː /

noun

1. a plank balanced in the middle so that two people seated on the ends can ride up and down by pushing on the ground with their feet
2. the pastime of riding up and down on a seesaw
3. 1. an up-and-down or back-and-forth movement
   2. ( as modifier )

      a seesaw movement

verb

1. intr to move up and down or back and forth in such a manner; oscillate

Word History and Origins

Origin of seesaw¹

1630–40 as part of a jingle accompanying a children's game; gradational compound based on saw ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of seesaw¹

C17: reduplication of saw ¹, alluding to the movement from side to side, as in sawing

Example Sentences

Express forecastForecast in detailWe’re in for a bit of a weather seesaw over the next few days.

From Washington Post

Washington tourist attractions have engaged in a seesaw battle with the coronavirus this year.

From Washington Post

As schools seesaw between open and closed, some teachers are left without direction, feeling undervalued and underutilized.

From TechCrunch

That seesaw season still gave the Brewers 91 wins in total, but their bad 60-game stretch — with a winning percentage 34 points below what they had in their other games — ultimately cost them a playoff spot.

From FiveThirtyEight

When your heartbeat is going, then it’s just loading up the seesaw to one side.

From Quanta Magazine

After a back and forth seesaw race, both candidates were locked on 49% with 99% of the votes counted.

From The Daily Beast

Absent a complete ban, or total irrationality, judges should simply step off the seesaw.

From The Daily Beast

If the government infringes a protected right, one side of the seesaw goes in the air and the right is lifted and protected.

From The Daily Beast

After months of seesaw battles in the Sahara Desert, Libya's rebels are now making their first serious push to Tripoli.

From The Daily Beast

If it waits for the political seesaw by which both parties avoid responsibility, there will be small chance of a navy.

From Project Gutenberg

I lay silent, watching a bird seesaw on the vine which clambers over my window-ledge in friendly fashion.

From Project Gutenberg

I whipped the car back, spun it in a seesaw, and took off back towards the first road block.

From Project Gutenberg

After prolonged northeast rain a bright day, and with it the setting of sail, a many-handed seesaw at the windlass, and departure.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a barrel or two, an enormous wooden ball, a collapsible fold-up seesaw and other impedimenta of a trained-animal act.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fluctuate
• teeter
• vacillate
• waver