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.
SpaceX may be a rocket company, but nowadays it feels more like a roller coaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“It was a never a roller coaster kind of park,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
And that’s on top of the emotional roller coaster.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
The group's performance reflects the roller coaster ride by cocoa prices over the past five years when it has been buffeted by wars, poor harvests and economic worries in key markets.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
After another hour, after a bridge like a section of roller coaster, they came into Wilmington.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Those shares have been on a roller-coaster ride.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The second half of the year is here after a roller-coaster first six months.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 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
“Being a Canadian football supporter, the roller-coaster ride has been downward for most of the years,” said Totera, who pulled on his first Canada soccer shirt the year he entered first grade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
The transporter must hear me because it suddenly shoots upward and the roller-coaster ride starts all over again.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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.
