to seesaw

Examples

• All

• Her emotions tended to seesaw during the stressful exam period, swinging from joy to anxiety.

• When the temperature changes rapidly, the weather can seesaw between hot and cold throughout the day.

• So that would suggest that it's going to seesaw now.

• Like he was seesawing all over in this conversation.

• For two years, the results of the war seesawed.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Attack and counterattack, defeat and victory seesawed across worlds and stars.

  Fiction book (1998)

• The lead seesawed back and forth, and the Hawks' starters were breathing hard at halftime.

  Fiction book (2001)

• Her mind was awake and busy; her emotions seesawed between affront at Frankenstein's lack of interest and fear of her surroundings.

  Fiction book (1995)

• The stock market continues to seesaw between gains and losses every few hours.

Synonyms

S

swing

vsto seesaw

109 1.0

A repeated movement back and forth like a clock

is an alternating up and down or reciprocal motion rather than regular side to side

T

to teeter

vsto seesaw

32 5.7

To move or stand in an unsteady way while rocking back and forth

is a more regular alternating motion rather than merely unsteady movement

T

to teeter-totter

vsto seesaw

• US

5.5

To ride on a long board balanced in the middle so one end goes up as the other goes down

is used more broadly and for figurative up and down movement

Antonyms

S

to stabilize

• US

75 4.3

To become steady and stop changing

How Much Movement

to oscillate

8 6.5

swing

109 1.0

to seesaw

1 3.6

to bob

24 2.7

tremble

23 2.7

Surface Forms

Etymology