up-and-down

American  

[uhp-uhn-doun] / ˈʌp ənˈdaʊn /

adjective

1. moving alternately up and down.

   the up-and-down swing of levers; an up-and-down tune.

2. having an uneven surface.

   up-and-down countryside.

3. changeable.

   up-and-down luck.

4. perpendicular or nearly so.

   a straight up-and-down hillside.

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up-and-down British  

adjective

1. moving, executed, or formed alternately upwards and downwards

2. very steep; vertical

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adverb

1. backwards and forwards (along)

Other Word Forms

• up-and-downness noun

Etymology

Origin of up-and-down

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

But after five up-and-down months with him, his players say they’re cool with Cronin, who has shaken off what feels like an annual wave of national criticism.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 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

It also fits with his theory that the simulation encourages an up-and-down story arc, not a linear one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

Moore’s departure ends an up-and-down tenure at the University of Michigan.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

The innkeeper glanced from his paper and gave us a supercilious up-and-down look.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt