see-saw

verb

/ˈsiː sɔː/

(especially British English)

(also seesaw especially in North American English)

[intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they see-saw	/ˈsiː sɔː/ /ˈsiː sɔː/
he / she / it see-saws	/ˈsiː sɔːz/ /ˈsiː sɔːz/
past simple see-sawed	/ˈsiː sɔːd/ /ˈsiː sɔːd/
past participle see-sawed	/ˈsiː sɔːd/ /ˈsiː sɔːd/
-ing form see-sawing	/ˈsiː sɔːɪŋ/ /ˈsiː sɔːɪŋ/

jump to other results

see-saw (from A to B) to keep changing from one situation, opinion, emotion, etc. to another and back again
- Her emotions see-sawed from anger to fear.
- Share prices see-sawed all day.
Topics Opinion and argumentc2
Word Originmid 17th cent. (originally used by sawyers as a rhythmical refrain): reduplication of the verb saw (symbolic of the sawing motion).

noun

/ˈsiː sɔː/

(especially British English)

(also seesaw especially in North American English)

jump to other results

(North American English also teeter-totter)
[countable] a piece of equipment for children to play on consisting of a long flat piece of wood that is supported in the middle. A child sits at each end and makes the see-saw move up and down.
- Can we go on the see-saw?
Topics Games and toysc2
[singular] a situation in which things keep changing from one state to another and back again
- The match was a see-saw battle between the two teams.

Word Originmid 17th cent. (originally used by sawyers as a rhythmical refrain): reduplication of the verb saw (symbolic of the sawing motion).