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

"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

Banksy’s prices have been on a roller coaster in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

The sector has been on a roller coaster in the past four years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

For “Full House” star Dave Coulier, his cancer journey has “been a roller coaster ride, for sure.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Even at this end of the emotional roller coaster, Citra had to admit that the scythe was right.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman