up-and-down
Americanadjective
-
moving alternately up and down.
the up-and-down swing of levers; an up-and-down tune.
-
having an uneven surface.
up-and-down countryside.
-
changeable.
up-and-down luck.
-
perpendicular or nearly so.
a straight up-and-down hillside.
adjective
-
moving, executed, or formed alternately upwards and downwards
-
very steep; vertical
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of up-and-down
First recorded in 1610–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said it has been an "up-and-down" season for Celtic but his team are still very much in the mix after their win at Fir Park.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
“It’s been, obviously, an up-and-down season,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2026
McIlroy got up-and-down birdie from a bunker at 17 before he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe at the last.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
And even though he’s had an up-and-down first trip to the playoffs, the 23-year-old has also done enough to become the second youngest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history after the Miami Dolphins’ Dan Marino.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
“They all begin with this single upright stroke followed by the three up-and-down lines. Just the way you drew it.”
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
