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whipsaw

[ hwip-saw, wip- ]
/ ˈʰwɪpˌsɔ, ˈwɪp- /

noun

a saw for two persons, as a pitsaw, used to divide timbers lengthwise.

verb (used with object), whip·sawed, whip·sawed or whip·sawn, whip·saw·ing.

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), whip·sawed, whip·sawed or whip·sawn, whip·saw·ing.

(of a trailer, railroad car, etc.) to swing suddenly to the right or left, as in rounding a sharp curve at high speed.

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Origin of whipsaw

First recorded in 1530–40; whip + saw1

Words nearby whipsaw

whippy, whipray, whip roll, whip-round, whips, whipsaw, whipsawed, whipscorpion, whipsnake, whipstall, whipstitch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for whipsaw

British Dictionary definitions for whipsaw

whipsaw
/ (ˈwɪpˌsɔː) /

noun

any saw with a flexible blade, such as a bandsaw

verb -saws, -sawing, -sawed, -sawed or -sawn (tr)

to saw with a whipsaw
US 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