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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ups and downs in a sentence

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.
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