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• roller coaster
  roller coaster

  noun

  a small gravity railroad, especially in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines that produce sudden, speedy plunges for thrill-seeking passengers.
• roller-coaster
  roller-coaster

  verb (used without object)

  to go up and down like a roller coaster; rise and fall.

roller coaster

¹ American  

noun

1. a small gravity railroad, especially in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines that produce sudden, speedy plunges for thrill-seeking passengers.

2. a car or train of cars for such a railroad.

3. any phenomenon, period, or experience of persistent or violent ups and downs, as one fluctuating between prosperity and recession or elation and despair.

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roller-coaster ² American  

[roh-ler-koh-ster, roh-li-] / ˈroʊ lərˌkoʊ stər, ˈroʊ lɪ- /

verb (used without object)

1. to go up and down like a roller coaster; rise and fall.

   a narrow road roller-coastering around the mountain; a light boat roller-coastering over the waves.

2. to experience a period of prosperity, happiness, security, or the like, followed by a contrasting period of economic depression, despair, or the like.

   The economy was roller-coastering throughout most of the decade.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a roller coaster.

2. resembling the progress of a ride on a roller coaster in sudden extreme changeableness.

roller coaster British  

noun

1. another term for big dipper

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Etymology

Origin of roller coaster¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of roller-coaster²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“While it’s thrilling to be on the roller coaster, knowing when to get off is also part of the adventure,” he says.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

What followed was something of a real estate roller coaster that saw the home spinning on and off the market on several occasions, each time with a lower price tag.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

The roller coaster continued on Sunday until he suddenly found his swing, right when his chances for back-to-back titles were beginning to fade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

"My life is a broken roller coaster, but maybe I'm the only one to blame," they sing on the melancholy Merry Go Round.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

The centrifuge was like a roller coaster that she had to control.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson