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
2
a
: 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 down
b
: the plank or apparatus so used
seesaw
adjective
seesawed; seesawing; seesaws
1
a
: to move backward and forward or up and down
b
: to play at seesaw
2
: alternate
seesaw between two activities
: to cause to move in seesaw fashion
Synonyms
Examples of seesaw in a Sentence
Noun
Their relationship was an emotional seesaw.
Verb
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 on the Web
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
My advice to readers facing these challenges is to embrace the analogy of a seesaw, understanding that there will be times when the focus leans more toward family and others toward career.
—Jennifer Acree, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
That market seesaw could continue this week as Powell’s semi-annual congressional testimony provides investors with a rare opportunity to hear the Fed head’s views on a range of topics from inflation to regional bank health.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Boston should be on the rising end of that seesaw, but many areas of the city were built on soft soil prone to compaction.
—Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The reversal of fortunes is part of the sad seesaw of Pakistani democracy, forever tilting through crises and interruptions.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
This seesaw rhythm—comic detail juxtaposed against cosmic injustice—propels the book.
—Vogue, 30 Dec. 2023
The dynamic has complicated the task of finding a palatable agreement, placing negotiators on a precarious legislative seesaw.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 23 May 2023
An uneven mix resulted in a gnarly climate seesaw that ultimately wiped out organisms.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
Taylor, who is tall, elastic-limbed, and flame-headed, and Rivera, who is diminutive and constantly seesawing between BDE and hapless confusion, get real mileage out of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023
Since 2015, when Jimmy was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, the Carters seesawed back and forth about which one was the other’s caretaker.
—Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Overall, retirement investors have showed resilience as account balances have seesawed, Shamrell said.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Tate and her dancers seesaw in pink two-pieces and sneakers, executing some pop-girl choreography befitting the bubblegum vocoder vocals and dance beat.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2023
Smack dab in the middle of the course is a large wooden board seesawing on a cylinder, so that climbing onto it, advancing to the mid-point, making the board tilt downward with that crucial forward step, and then successfully alighting are parts of a suspenseful odyssey.
—Han Ong, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
The show seesaws between asking viewers to suspend their disbelief (e.g., the merman) while maintaining a very real emotional core (Stede saving Blackbeard from himself).
—Laura Zornosa, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023
The wholesale prices of diesel and gasoline have slipped and climbed, respectively, over the past three months, even while oil futures have seesawed.
—Bob Henderson, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023
Noun
Fair pay and feeling morally sound about your job can be a hard seesaw to ride in this modern economy, but the youngest members of the workforce are doing their best to find that balance.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
My advice to readers facing these challenges is to embrace the analogy of a seesaw, understanding that there will be times when the focus leans more toward family and others toward career.
—Jennifer Acree, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
That market seesaw could continue this week as Powell’s semi-annual congressional testimony provides investors with a rare opportunity to hear the Fed head’s views on a range of topics from inflation to regional bank health.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
Boston should be on the rising end of that seesaw, but many areas of the city were built on soft soil prone to compaction.
—Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The reversal of fortunes is part of the sad seesaw of Pakistani democracy, forever tilting through crises and interruptions.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
This seesaw rhythm—comic detail juxtaposed against cosmic injustice—propels the book.
—Vogue, 30 Dec. 2023
The dynamic has complicated the task of finding a palatable agreement, placing negotiators on a precarious legislative seesaw.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 23 May 2023
An uneven mix resulted in a gnarly climate seesaw that ultimately wiped out organisms.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
Verb
The simile is novel and yet the sort of thing a young woman would think; there is assonance and consonance seesawing across the sentence, which is slow and gorgeous rather than quick and thrilling.
—Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
Taylor, who is tall, elastic-limbed, and flame-headed, and Rivera, who is diminutive and constantly seesawing between BDE and hapless confusion, get real mileage out of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023
Since 2015, when Jimmy was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, the Carters seesawed back and forth about which one was the other’s caretaker.
—Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Overall, retirement investors have showed resilience as account balances have seesawed, Shamrell said.
—Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Tate and her dancers seesaw in pink two-pieces and sneakers, executing some pop-girl choreography befitting the bubblegum vocoder vocals and dance beat.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2023
Smack dab in the middle of the course is a large wooden board seesawing on a cylinder, so that climbing onto it, advancing to the mid-point, making the board tilt downward with that crucial forward step, and then successfully alighting are parts of a suspenseful odyssey.
—Han Ong, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
The show seesaws between asking viewers to suspend their disbelief (e.g., the merman) while maintaining a very real emotional core (Stede saving Blackbeard from himself).
—Laura Zornosa, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023
The wholesale prices of diesel and gasoline have slipped and climbed, respectively, over the past three months, even while oil futures have seesawed.
—Bob Henderson, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seesaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Seesaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seesaw. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
seesaw
1 of 2 noun
see·saw
ˈsē-ˌsȯ 
1
a
: an up-and-down or backward-and-forward motion or movement
b
: a contest or struggle in which now one side now the other has the lead
2
a
: a game 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 down
b
: the plank used in the game of seesaw
seesaw
adjective
seesaw
2 of 2 verb
seesawed; seesawing
1
: to move like a seesaw
2
: to play on a seesaw
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