seesaw
To use a seesawTo use a seesaw.
Recorded US: Paul2520, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Tom and Mary were playing on the seesaw.
Том и Мэри катались на качелях. — fjay69
Том и Мэри качались на качелях. — marafon
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(intransitive)To use a seesaw.
wippen
кача́ться на доске́kačátʹsja na doské
move up and down as if on a seesaw
(broadly, figuratively, intransitive)To fluctuate.
колебатьсяkolebatʹsja
(figuratively, transitive)To cause to move backward and forward in a seesaw fashion.
Examples
6 sentencesTom and Mary were playing on the seesaw.
ruТом и Мэри катались на качелях. — fjay69
Two girls played on the seesaw.
Дві дівчинки каталися на гойдалці. — deniko
ruДве девочки качались на качелях-доске. — Karok
Interest rates have seesawed all year.
ruПроцентные ставки колебались весь год. — whatnot
The seesaw was in a shady area of the playground.
Be cautious on the seesaw, balance carefully!
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 1
Origin
Probably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging mProbably a frequentative imitative of rhythmic back-and-forth, up-and-down or zigzagging motion, such as teeter-totter, zigzag, flip-flop, ping pong, etc., under the umbrella term of reduplication; also likely influenced by the verbs see and saw of either present or past tense.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
seesaws, seesawing, seesawed, seesawedSynonyms
4 synonyms- move unsteadily, with a rocking motion:teetertotter
- ride on a plank:teeter-totterteetertotter
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.