ups and downs

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word ups and downs. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word ups and downs, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say ups and downs in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word ups and downs you have here. The definition of the word ups and downs will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofups and downs, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Pronunciation

Noun

ups and downs pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic) Periods of positive and negative events, moods, or interactions; highs and lows.
    Heidi and Mike had their ups and downs, but they stayed married for more than 60 years.
    • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Our Street, page 34:
      So it is the world wags: that honest men and knaves alike are always having ups and downs of fortune, and that we are perpetually changing tenants in Our Street.
  2. Undulations.
    • 1960 August, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 463:
      [...] speed barely exceeded 30 m.p.h. until well beyond Kelty and from the front end the ups-and-downs of the track occasioned by pitfalls are very noticeable.

Synonyms

Translations