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 The back-and-forth sent oil prices and stock markets seesawing. — Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026 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 The clearest example of the two companies’ seesawing outlooks is in performance running. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seesawing
  1. swaying
  2. bobbing
  3. lurching
  4. pumping
  5. rocking
  6. shaking
Verb
  • The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • The movie is an apex of film noir, filled with dark shadows, moody lighting and ominous swaying palm trees.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of swaying
Verb
  • The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Fascinators — those bobbing bundles often of feathers, flowers and netting perched off-center of the wearer’s head — are banned here.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 June 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
  • Conversations struck up while pumping gas or waiting for coffee.
    — Divia Thani, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • Firefighters deployed to the Turkey Creek pumping station and tried desperately to keep the engine room dry.
    — Kansas City Public Library staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of pumping
Verb
  • The country’s massive celebrations have made international headlines, with videos of exuberant fans rocking cars and even buses going viral.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Just remember the most important part when rocking a bowl cut is the attitude.
    — Genesis Rivas, InStyle, 1 July 2026
Definition of rocking
Verb
  • This tournament has built credibility by showcasing teams competing at a high level, then shaking hands afterward.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • An earth-shaking roar The World Cup finally arrived in Kansas City after several years of preparation and anticipation.
    — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 3 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 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on seesawing

Nglish: Translation of seesawing for Spanish Speakers

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