Meaning & use
teeter-totter
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A plank balanced in the middle on which two children sit at opposite ends and push up and down in turn.
Grammar: American word for playground equipment; British speakers say seesaw.
Patterns
- on the teeter-totter
The twins took turns on the teeter-totter.
The playground has two swings and a teeter-totter.
He was too heavy for the teeter-totter, so his friend rose into the air.
verbintransitiveinformal
To rock or sway back and forth unsteadily, as if about to fall.
Grammar: No object: the pile teeter-tottered.
Patterns
- teeter-totter on something
The cup teeter-tottered at the edge of the table.
The economy teeter-tottered between growth and decline.
Word forms
| plural | teeter-totters |
|---|---|
| third person singular | teeter-totters |
| past tense | teeter-tottered |
| -ing form | teeter-tottering |
Common combinations
- ride the teeter-totter
- They love to ride the teeter-totter.
- playground teeter-totter
- A playground teeter-totter creaked in the wind.
- teeter-totter on the edge
- The vase teeter-tottered on the edge of the shelf.
- wooden teeter-totter
- Dad built a wooden teeter-totter for the yard.
Synonyms and how they differ
- seesaw
- Seesaw is the British and general name for the same toy, and it is equally common as a verb.
- teeter
- Teeter alone means to move unsteadily, without the back-and-forth rhythm of a teeter-totter.
- wobble
- Wobble describes shaking from side to side, not up and down.
- rock
- Rock is wider and may be gentle and steady rather than uncertain.
Word family
Commonly confused: teeter-totter or seesaw?
teeter-totter vs seesaw
The two names mean the same playground toy; teeter-totter is mainly American.
Practice
In British English, the playground toy that Americans call a teeter-totter is called a ____.
Choose one answer.
A seesaw is the British name. Roundabout, slide and swing are different playground items.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “teeter-totter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.