roller coaster

noun

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.
a car or train of cars for such a railroad.
any phenomenon, period, or experience of persistent or violent ups and downs, as one fluctuating between prosperity and recession or elation and despair.

roller-coaster

[roh-ler-koh-ster, roh-li-]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

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.
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.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of a roller coaster.
resembling the progress of a ride on a roller coaster in sudden extreme changeableness.

roller coaster

noun

another term for big dipper

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of roller coaster¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of roller coaster²

First recorded in 1960–65

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I felt like I was running up and down a sharp roller coaster.

From

“But we had accomplished all this stuff, and we felt it was time to get off of the roller coaster.”

From

I’ve felt a roller coaster of feeling really proud of the work and really happy and so grateful.

From

At the top of a hill in a sprawling Santa Clarita industrial park in the shadow of Magic Mountain’s roller coasters, a significant chapter in the history of motorsports was written.

From

Just north of Magic Mountain’s roller coasters, hidden within the vast, anonymous industrial parks of Valencia, lies the secret lab where the murderous doll M3GAN was born.

From

roller chain Roller Derby

Browse