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ups and downs
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plural noun
rises and falls of fortune; good and bad times: Every business has its ups and downs.
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Origin of ups and downs
First recorded in 1650–60
Words nearby ups and downs
uprouse, uprush, UPS, upsa-daisy, Upsala, ups and downs, upscale, upsell, upset, upset price, upset the applecart
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ups and downs in a sentence
He has had many ups-and-downs, but his motto has been, "Try and continue trying and you will succeed at last."
Scandinavians on the Pacific, Puget Sound|Thomas Ostenson StineHe has shared the ups-and-downs of frontier struggles, always a faithful supporter of the Methodist church.
Scandinavians on the Pacific, Puget Sound|Thomas Ostenson StineAll arbitrary goings to-and-fro, all idle fancies, all accidental ups-and-downs of emotion must be forbidden in the same way.
The Way of Initiation|Rudolf Steiner
British Dictionary definitions for ups and downs
ups and downs
pl n
alternating periods of good and bad fortune, high and low spirits, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with ups and downs
ups and downs
Good times and bad times, successes and failures, as in We've had our ups and downs but things are going fairly well now. This term was first recorded in 1659.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.