up-and-down

1 of 2

adjective

ˌəp-ən(d)-ˈdau̇n 

ˌəp-ᵊm-

1

: marked by alternate upward and downward movement, action, or surface

2

: perpendicular

up and down

2 of 2

adverb

1

: to and fro

paced up and down

2

: so as to move upward and then downward repeatedly

jumping up and down

3

archaic : here and there especially throughout an area

4

: with regard to every particular : thoroughly

knew the territory up and down

up and down preposition

Examples of up-and-down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Meanwhile, Trump’s up-and-down relationship with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the Republican president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. —Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

Trump’s up-and-down relationship with Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the Republican president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. —Steven Sloan, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026

Adverb

But there are funny people up and down this justifiably adored comedy, with Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and Sharon Horgan. —ABC News, 6 May 2026

The four imap and nmap lines make the arrow keys move the cursor up and down in both normal and insert mode via display lines rather than the actual file lines, which really helps with arrow key navigation with long wrapping lines. —Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1755, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for up-and-down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

up-and-down

adjective

1

: marked by alternate upward and downward movement, action, or surface

2

: perpendicular entry 1 sense 1