roller coaster
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. An amusement park ride: A ride, typically at an amusement park, consisting of a light railroad track with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions, on which cars move. 2. A situation characterized by abrupt, extreme, and repeated changes: Anything that involves a rapid, unpredictable succession of rises and falls, such as emotions, experiences, or economic conditions.
Examples
- Noun (Amusement Ride):
- The children waited in line for an hour to ride the new roller coaster.
- That roller coaster has three loops and a 90-degree drop.
- Noun (Situation of Change):
- Their relationship has been an emotional roller coaster.
- The stock market has been a roller coaster this week.
Advanced Usage
- "to be on a roller coaster": To be experiencing a period of many sudden and extreme changes.
- Investors have been on a roller coaster as news about the company changes daily.
- "roller-coaster ride": Used as a compound adjective to describe an experience full of ups and downs.
- It's been a roller-coaster ride of emotions since the project began.
Variants and Related Words
- Roller-coaster (adjective): Describing something that has many sudden and extreme changes.
- The team had a roller-coaster season, winning ten games but losing nine.
- Coaster: A small mat placed under a glass. (Note: This is a different, unrelated word).
Synonyms
- For the ride: Big dipper (British English), thrill ride.
- For the situation: Whirlwind, turbulence, upheaval, seesaw.
Related Idioms
- A wild ride: A very exciting or turbulent experience.
- Starting a new business has been a wild ride.
- Ups and downs: Periods of good and bad fortune.
- Every marriage has its ups and downs.
Noun
- elevated railway in an amusement park (usually with sharp curves and steep inclines)
- anything characterized by abrupt and extreme changes (especially up and down)
- the economy has been on a roller coaster all year