Whipsaw
adj, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A rip saw often operated by two people.
- 2 a saw with handles at both ends; intended for use by two people wordnet
- 1 To operate a whipsaw.
- 2 saw with a whipsaw wordnet
- 3 To cause (a trader) to lose potential profit by buying shares just before the price falls, or by selling them just before the price rises. transitive
- 4 victimize, especially in gambling or negotiations wordnet
- 5 To defeat someone in two different ways at once. transitive
"Whipsawed by events and facing another midterm electoral defeat, President Obama has directed his team to forge a policy agenda to regain momentum for his final two years in office even as some advisers urge that he rethink the way he governs."
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- 6 Of a trade union: to coerce employers into capitulating by bringing them the news that other (more easily convinced) employers have already done so.
- 7 To accept bribes from multiple parties at once, with the intent of letting down one or more of them. US
- 1 Having the characteristic of arguing two sides at once. not-comparable
"During the Porter crisis, Kelly found himself under intense scrutiny for the veracity of his whipsaw statements. He publicly praised Porter and privately urged him to stay."
Example
More examples"Whipsawed by events and facing another midterm electoral defeat, President Obama has directed his team to forge a policy agenda to regain momentum for his final two years in office even as some advisers urge that he rethink the way he governs."
Etymology
From whip + saw.
Related phrases
More for "whipsaw"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.