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.
It’s a good way to put yourself on an emotional roller coaster and a bad way to learn anything definitive about what’s coming tonight.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
A hot inflation report sent the bond market on a roller coaster and, along the way, one of the most prominent AI cloud companies had a meltdown in both the equity and debt markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The incident comes just weeks after one of its parks in southern California announced it would close the popular X2 roller coaster after more than 100 people alleged brain injuries from the ride.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
A fatal accident on a Six Flags Entertainment roller coaster sent shares of the amusement-park operator on Tuesday near the lowest level of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Tally saw that it really had been the ocean she’d glimpsed from the roller coaster.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
The battery metal has been on a roller-coaster ride in recent years, as the small but fast-growing market manages mismatches in supply and demand-as well as sudden swings in sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Even with its roller-coaster ride this year, Vertiv’s stock was still up 28.7% in 2026 through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 has advanced 12.8%.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Three years later, Kane and Abel, a ripping page-turner about the roller-coaster financial fortunes of two men who initially shared nothing but a date of birth, flew off the shelves.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Jackie’s passing was a devastating turn in a roller-coaster year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
It was like a beautiful roller-coaster ride in slow motion, with no noise, no banging around, no hollow feeling in the pit of the stomach.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
