roller coaster

¹ American  

noun

1. a small gravity railroad, especially in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines that produce sudden, speedy plunges for thrill-seeking passengers.

2. a car or train of cars for such a railroad.

3. any phenomenon, period, or experience of persistent or violent ups and downs, as one fluctuating between prosperity and recession or elation and despair.

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roller-coaster ² American  

[roh-ler-koh-ster, roh-li-] / ˈroʊ lərˌkoʊ stər, ˈroʊ lɪ- /

verb (used without object)

1. to go up and down like a roller coaster; rise and fall.

   a narrow road roller-coastering around the mountain; a light boat roller-coastering over the waves.

2. to experience a period of prosperity, happiness, security, or the like, followed by a contrasting period of economic depression, despair, or the like.

   The economy was roller-coastering throughout most of the decade.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a roller coaster.

2. resembling the progress of a ride on a roller coaster in sudden extreme changeableness.

roller coaster British  

noun

1. another term for big dipper

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Etymology

Origin of roller coaster¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of roller-coaster²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

What followed was something of a real estate roller coaster that saw the home spinning on and off the market on several occasions, each time with a lower price tag.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

The New York Post's Lauren Sarner called the new season "an unhinged disaster" and "an off-the-rails roller coaster of insanity".

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Richter’s market has been on a roller coaster since, cooling off after that 2015 record but then rallying in 2021 when 156 of his artworks sold at auction for $231.4 million combined, according to ARTDAI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“It can be a roller coaster at times, but over the long run, we believe in the studios’ ability to outperform,” Chiappetta said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

She looked really freaked out, like she’d just been dropped off the steep end of a roller coaster.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan