whipsaw

whipsaw
American 

[hwip-saw, wip-]
/ ;;w;p;s;, ;w;p- /
noun
a saw for two persons, as a pitsaw, used to divide timbers lengthwise.

verb (used with object)
whipsaws,
whipsawed,
whipsawn,
whipsawing
to cut with a whipsaw.

to win two bets from (a person) at one turn or play, as at faro.

to subject to two opposing forces at the same time.

The real-estate market has been whipsawed by high interest rates and unemployment.

verb (used without object)
whipsaws,
whipsawed,
whipsawn,
whipsawing
(of a trailer, railroad car, etc.) to swing suddenly to the right or left, as in rounding a sharp curve at high speed.

whipsaw
British 

/ ;w;p;s;; /
noun
any saw with a flexible blade, such as a bandsaw

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
verb
to saw with a whipsaw

to defeat in two ways at once

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
whipsawing
present
whipsawn
past
Conjugated Forms
Present
whipsaw
simple
whipsaws
simple
have whipsawn
perfect
has whipsawn
perfect
am whipsawing
progressive
are whipsawing
progressive
is whipsawing
progressive
have been whipsawing
perfect progressive
has been whipsawing
perfect progressive
Past
whipsawed
simple
had whipsawn
perfect
was whipsawing
progressive
were whipsawing
progressive
had been whipsawing
perfect progressive
Future
will whipsaw
simple
will have whipsawn
perfect
will be whipsawing
progressive
will have been whipsawing
perfect progressive
Etymology
Origin of whipsaw
First recorded in 1530–40; whip + saw 1

Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

whipsaw

whipsaws

whipsawed

whipsawn

whipsawing
Artificial intelligence continues to whipsaw tech stocks, with huge up days followed by significant declines.

From Barron's ; Jun. 4, 2026

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The market has been hit by whipsaw moves, underscoring how investors are struggling to price in the financial implications of the geopolitical shock.

From MarketWatch ; Mar. 4, 2026

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Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 0.2%, with tech stock swings making the HS Tech index whipsaw.

From The Wall Street Journal ; Feb. 3, 2026

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In the near term, precious metals could see more volatile price action, with whipsaw moves likely to be driven by positioning and thin liquidity rather than a fundamental narrative, Sucden Financial writes in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ; Dec. 30, 2025

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I've been in on good ground with pardners I've staked And I thought they were square, till I found They were trying to cross me, the miserable pups, And whipsaw me out of my ground.

From Rhymes of a Roughneck by Pat O'Cotter