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

They are used to up-and-down incomes, unlike many of us who have grown accustomed to consistent ups.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

Normally stalling storms tend to be dying out, as they pull up cold water from the depths of the ocean and are exposed to wavy, up-and-down winds in the atmosphere tearing them apart.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

“Rough sleepers show a pronounced up-and-down trend which is the lowest in the winter,” Abramson said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

The cycle was so regular that its pattern took on a clear form: an up-and-down movement, wavelike.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry