teeter-totter

noun

tee·​ter-tot·​ter ˈtē-tər-ˌtä-tər How to pronounce teeter-totter (audio)

Examples of teeter-totter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The Colts are on a teeter-totter weekly — all eight of their games have been decided by six points or fewer. Jack Magruder, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Torres, meanwhile, didn’t appear to worry about Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s impending arrival shortly after the teeter-totter affair. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 July 2024 However, as the nation’s politics polarized, California became one of those places that people on the other side of the political teeter-totter loved to hate. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 24 July 2024 Downtown seems perched as if on a teeter-totter, between recovery and failure. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024 This sequence lets all those organisms take center stage with their teeter-totter movements, bizarrely imbalanced gaits, and good intentions. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 May 2024 India does both: Her haphazard approach to birth control never dims her determination to work as an actor, and her observations teeter-totter between insouciance and profundity. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 Outside, the backyard was outfitted with a swing set, teeter-totter, and Tiger’s dog house. Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 27 May 2023 If the unthinkable became a horrifying reality, if a life-and-death teeter-totter or crushing financial pressure pushed them to the brink, the teen would shoulder the weight of the world. Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of teeter-totter was circa 1905

Dictionary Entries Near teeter-totter

Cite this Entry

“Teeter-totter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teeter-totter. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

teeter-totter

noun
tee·​ter-tot·​ter
ˈtēt-ər-ˌtät-ər
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!