ups and downs

American  

plural noun

1. rises and falls of fortune; good and bad times.

   Every business has its ups and downs.

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ups and downs British  

plural noun

1. alternating periods of good and bad fortune, high and low spirits, etc

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ups and downs Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of ups and downs

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

“The intermediate is where we’re seeing the ups and downs, but we can pick and choose what comes out of it,” she said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

His father, Homer Gaston Bessent Jr., was a real estate developer who suffered economic ups and downs as well as health problems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

“Not having to deal with the ups and downs of gas prices is one of the benefits of owning an EV,” one Reddit user wrote last month.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

With the world feeling so uncertain, stocks that deliver solid dividends and growth without getting caught up in the market’s violent ups and downs look pretty appealing.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

But Billy didn’t want to read about the same ups and downs over and over again.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut