Notice dictator’s weapon fluctuated (8)
I believe the answer is:
seesawed
'fluctuated' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with motion as well as being past participle verbs.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'notice dictator's weapon' is the wordplay.
'notice' becomes 'see' (notice can mean to spot or see).
'dictator's weapon' becomes 'sawed' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'see'+'sawed'='SEESAWED'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for seesawed that I've seen before include "Switched backwards and forwards" , "Vacillated" , "went from one extreme to the other" .)