highflier

or high-fli·er, high·fly·er, high-fly·er

[ hahy-flahy-er ]

noun

1. a person who is extravagant or goes to extremes in aims, pretensions, opinions, etc.
2. a person or thing that flies high.
3. a stock, often speculative, whose price moves up or down widely.

Word History and Origins

Origin of highflier¹

First recorded in 1680–90; high + flier

Example Sentences

Repeated interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve exposed the poor bets and hubris of regional highfliers like Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic.

From Los Angeles Times

The Wall Street Journal outlined some of the most striking examples of what happened to the onetime highflier:

From New York Times

I remember back in ’99, the highfliers were Cisco and Sun.

From New York Times

Companies can remain in that condition indefinitely, but more often than not, gravity has proven to be a harsh mistress to highfliers, and the trigger for a drastic revaluation can come from anywhere.

From Los Angeles Times

Roughly two years into the pandemic, several of 2020′s highfliers have seen their stock valuations under pressure while the world returns to something more closely resembling a normal business cycle.

From Washington Post