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
The state agency that inspects amusement parks, Cal/OSHA, said it “has opened an inspection into the reported incident involving the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain” that occurred July 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Surprise, now they want off the currency roller coaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
He’s riding his own roller coaster of endurance.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Those shares have been on a roller-coaster ride.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Confidence among firms picked up a little this month, though the roller-coaster ride of oil prices in recent weeks suggested the recovery could be fragile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Confidence among German firms picked up a little this month as expectations for business climbed, though the roller-coaster ride of oil prices in recent weeks suggests that this recovery could be fragile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The second half of the year is here after a roller-coaster first six months.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
It was like Cade Hernandez's roller-coaster waiting line: Here I was at the front, uncertain about whether or not I'd get on board.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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.
