teeter-totter

IPA/ˈtiːtə tɒtə(r)/
IPA/ˈtiːtər tɑːtər/

teeter-totter — noun

1. a children's playground board on a center support, so one rider goes up when the

1.nounA2
Definition

a children's playground board on a center support, so one rider goes up when the rider at the other end goes down.

Example

The children lined up for the teeter-totter beside the swings after lunch.

beside the swings: common playground setting

Min pushed off the ground and lifted Zuri high on the teeter-totter.

push off the ground: making the board rise

Common collocations
  • ride a teeter-totter
  • wait for the teeter-totter
  • a wet teeter-totter
  • teeter-totter beside the swings
  • push off the ground
Synonyms
  • seesaw

    the more widely used general term for the same playground ride

  • teeter

    a shorter American term that is less common than teeter-totter

Usage Note

Mainly American. British English more often uses seesaw, and the word usually refers to the long playground board that two children ride from opposite ends.

Common Mistakes

The children sat in the teeter-totter.
The children sat on the teeter-totter.
Use 'on' because it is a board you ride, not something you sit inside.
The school put the teeter-totter in the library corner.
The school put the teeter-totter in the playground.
The word usually refers to outdoor playground equipment for children.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Teeter-totter and seesaw usually name the same playground ride: a long board that goes up and down with a child at each end. Seesaw is the broader and more widely used word, especially outside North America. Teeter-totter sounds more American and often appears in school, park, or family contexts. Teeter can also be used for the same ride in some American speech, but it is shorter, less common, and easier to confuse with the verb teeter, which means to wobble or nearly fall. If you want the safest general word, use seesaw. If you are talking about American playground equipment, teeter-totter sounds especially natural.

teeter-totter ↗seesaw ↗teeter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • ride a teeter-totter
  • wait for the teeter-totter
  • push off the ground
  • teeter-totter beside the swings

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Teeter-totter is an English doubled form built from teeter, an expressive word for shaky rocking. The repeated shape of the word suggests back-and-forth motion, which fits the way this playground board rises and falls from side to side.

First known use

1905

1905, in the meaning defined above