whipsawed; whipsawing; whipsaws
1
: to saw with a whipsaw
2
: to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents
wage earners were whipsawed by inflation and high taxes
Did you know?
A whipsaw is a type of hand-powered saw worked by two people, one of whom stands on or above the log being sawed and the other below it, usually in a pit. The tool dates back to the 15th century, but it was not until the 19th century that anyone thought to use the saw's name figuratively to describe situations in which someone or something is doubly "cut," or hurt. Today, the word is commonly used when discussing financial crises or losses as well as ideological changes (as in government policy) that might "cut."
Examples of whipsaw in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 31 May 2025
The tumultuous whipsaw of on-again, off-again tariffs.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
In this way, the rally comes with a whole string of asterisks
Markets have been whipsawed again and again in 2025 as the White House pivoted, then pivoted again, repositioning global trade policy in posts and offhand comments.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whipsaw
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.
Noun
Sun asked director Hwang about the whipsaw of having years and years to work on the concept for Season 1 but only six months to write Seasons 2 and 3.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 31 May 2025
The tumultuous whipsaw of on-again, off-again tariffs.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
Verb
Trump’s trade policy has whipsawed through different tariff levels and has also been caught up in court decisions, adding more uncertainty to what has become a testy relationship affecting economies around the world.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 30 May 2025
In this way, the rally comes with a whole string of asterisks
Markets have been whipsawed again and again in 2025 as the White House pivoted, then pivoted again, repositioning global trade policy in posts and offhand comments.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for whipsaw
Cite this Entry
“Whipsaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whipsaw. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share