highs and lows — the good times and bad times; periods of success and failure, happiness and sadness
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the good times and bad times; periods of success and failure, happiness and sadness
Pronunciation (IPA): /haɪz ænd loʊz/
Example Sentences
- Marriage is about sticking together through the highs and lows, not just the Instagram-worthy moments.
- The stock market's highs and lows gave me more gray hair than my teenagers did.
- She documented all the highs and lows of starting her own business.
highs and lows
NOUN[/haɪz ænd loʊz/]
the good times and bad times; periods of success and failure, happiness and sadness
Their marriage album shows all the highs and lows of thirty years together.
Life flows through highs and lows, where wisdom grows
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This phrase combines two Old English words used since the 16th century: 'high' (from Old English 'hēah', meaning elevated or in a superior state) and 'low' (from Old English 'lāh', meaning depressed or inferior). The expression employs a metaphor comparing life's ups and downs to geographical elevation, where peaks represent favorable circumstances and valleys represent difficulties.
Breakdown
high (Old English 'hēah', elevated position or good state) + and (conjunction) + low (Old English 'lāh', depressed position or poor state). The phrase uses opposing spatial concepts to represent opposing life conditions.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Marriage is about sticking together through the highs and lows, not just the Instagram-worthy moments.”
“The stock market's highs and lows gave me more gray hair than my teenagers did.”
“She documented all the highs and lows of starting her own business.”
“My diet has more highs and lows than a soap opera plot.”
📚Related Words
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