Dictionary.com
definitions

ups and downs

|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ups and downs ON THESAURUS.COM

plural noun

rises and falls of fortune; good and bad times: Every business has its ups and downs.

RELATED CONTENT

Can You Untangle These Regional Mix-Ups?
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Meaning Mash-Ups: Words You Didn’t Know Were Portmanteaus
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Origin of ups and downs

First recorded in 1650–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ups and downs

Historical Examples of ups and downs

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
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.