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⚖️ A seesaw ⚖️ To seesaw
to teeter-totter

to teeter-totter

5.5
To ride on a long board balanced in the middle so one end goes up as the other goes down
  • verb
  • /ˈtiːtərˌtɔːtər/
  • US
translation icon : subirse a la subibaja
  • During recess, the kids love to teeter-totter together on the seesaw.

Examples

  • As they teeter-totter back and forth, one child giggles while the other balances.

  • We'll just continue to teeter-totter to the left and right every few years.

    Blog text (14)

  • So I got to that water and I looked at it, and I teenched up there and then I teeter-tottered.

    Meet the Browns (2008)

  • This right teeter totter up and down seems as if there's no escape.

  • - I teeter-tottered.

    Meet the Browns (2008)

  • The children took turns to teeter-totter happily in the playground.

Synonyms

to teeter
vsto teeter-totter
32 5.7

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

is a riding activity on a balanced plank rather than general unsteady movement
to totter
vsto teeter-totter
11 4.8

To walk in an unsteady way as if about to fall

is a riding activity on a balanced plank rather than an unsteady walk
to seesaw
vsto teeter-totter
1.4

To ride up and down on a long board balanced in the middle with another person

is specifically the children's activity of riding that board

Surface Forms

teeter-totter infinitive
teeter-tottered past
teeter-tottered past participle
teeter-tottering present participle
teeter-totters third person singular

Morphology

teeter-totter = teeter + totter (semi-transparent) = teeter + totter

As a verb, the compound describes performing the alternating motion; the parts are transparent in meaning but the reduplicative verb usage is a lexicalized pattern.

Etymology

To teeter-totter (verb) comes from the same pair, teeter and totter, words that imitate a shaky 'rock' or 'sway' movement. That's why to teeter-totter is to move up and down or back and forth on a seesaw.