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.
a car or train of cars for such a railroad.
any phenomenon, period, or experience of persistent or violent ups and downs, as one fluctuating between prosperity and recession or elation and despair.
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.
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.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a roller coaster.
resembling the progress of a ride on a roller coaster in sudden extreme changeableness.
First recorded in 1885–90
First recorded in 1960–65
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For Navarrette, the success of the movie has been a roller coaster, but she is "taking it day by day."
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Kometer said it should be a tarmac rally stage while professional stunt driver and Long Beach local Sarah Fairfield, who piloted the second ’26 MX-5 on this trip, equated it to a roller coaster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
That Jackson’s ascension by convention counts as normal is less a reflection of the process itself than a product of the preconvention roller coaster ride that brought Democrats to where they are now.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
And that’s on top of the emotional roller coaster.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Mong smiled and looked up, said: “We’re gonna go ride the roller coaster in Santa Cruz.”
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
Chinese humanoid-robotics companies could face a narrower path to public markets as authorities seek to calm the frenzy that followed robot maker Unitree’s roller-coaster listing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The tariff roller-coaster of the past year-and-a-half or so has weighed on Canada’s economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Netflix investors over the past 12 months, following the company’s aggressive foray into the mergers-and-acquisitions market — namely, its failed effort to acquire Warner Bros.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Arista chief Clive Davis has survived a roller-coaster career to come out on top again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
It was like being on the bumpiest, scariest roller-coaster ride!
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
