noun phrase🎓 English idiom

ups and downs

alternating good and bad times

What it means

Ups and downs are the mix of positive and negative periods that come with any long stretch of life, work, or a relationship. The phrase acknowledges that nothing is steadily good or bad — there are highs, lows, and recoveries along the way.

Examples

  • Every business has its ups and downs in the first few years.
  • Their friendship has had its ups and downs but always endured.
  • She's been through a lot of ups and downs since the move.
  • The market goes through ups and downs — don't panic over one bad week.

Where it comes from

A natural English binomial contrasting two directional adverbs to express variability; in figurative use about fortunes and moods since at least the 1600s.

Related idioms

#give and take#back and forth#now and then#rough and tumble

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