seesawing

verb

present participle of seesaw
1
as in swaying
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions as their boat seesawed in the rough water, the rescue team tried to get the passengers off the sinking ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements the price of the stock has been seesawing all week

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of seesawing Hewlett Packard Enterprise emerged as one of the most overbought stocks as the market grappled with seesawing volatility this week. — Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 6 June 2026 In the midst of seesawing oil prices, reports suggest the project — slated for completion in late 2027 — is well ahead of schedule and already around 50% complete. — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 The clearest example of the two companies’ seesawing outlooks is in performance running. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026 This includes soaring gas prices at the pump, seesawing stock markets, rising food and fertilizer prices, higher shipping-insurance costs, and fuel shortages that have touched off violence, work stoppages, and profiteering in parts of Asia and Africa. — Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026 Armchair investors have endured several stomach-churning days in March, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones averages seesawing in response to the Iran war, surging gas prices and inflation fears. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026 The back-and-forth sent oil prices and stock markets seesawing. — Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026 The seesawing decisions by Jones Dickson came during a hearing Monday, when Tran’s trial was expected to get underway with his case being assigned a trial judge. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seesawing
  1. swaying
  2. bobbing
  3. lurching
  4. pumping
  5. rocking
  6. shaking
Verb
  • Styled after a tropical paradise with swaying palm trees, Lost Island Waterpark offers endless aquatic fun during its summertime opening season, with slides, rides, and attractions.
    — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026
  • After a few hours under the hot sun, there was no better cool down than swaying to Babyface classics.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado July 22, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of swaying
Verb
  • Rapp and his crewmate, Suzanne Driscoll, hoisted a lobster trap marked by a bobbing buoy from the Casco Bay.
    — Natalie B. Compton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2026
  • And that kind of thing didn’t happen in Mystic, a touristy escape from New York City complete with bobbing boats and sea lions doing tricks at the aquarium.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.
    — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • The old guard of the Democratic Party suffered another body blow when three socialist congressional candidates in New York with anti-Israel platforms swept to victory, lurching the party even further to the left.
    — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 June 2026
Definition of lurching
Verb
  • The powerhouse sisters were raised in London in a musical home, with talent essentially pumping through each of their veins.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 30 July 2026
  • Noah Kahan is pumping the brakes on the White House's embrace of his music.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of pumping
Verb
  • The patented, portable Ready Rocker is ergonomically designed to help alleviate discomfort, relieve back pain, reduce stress, calm anxiety and improve sleep, fitting both deep and shallow seating with two rocking positions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Land-Dweller also comes celebrity-approved, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Roger Federer both rocking it in the past.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of rocking
Verb
  • The set creates a good seal while remaining easy to take apart—even after creating high pressure by dry shaking egg whites.
    — Justine Sterling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • Lindsay Clancy cried, her shoulders shaking, during the doctor's testimony.
    — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of shaking

Browse Nearby Words

seesawed
seesawing
seesaws
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Cite this Entry

“Seesawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seesawing. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on seesawing

Nglish: Translation of seesawing for Spanish Speakers

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