what goes up must come down

4.9

Things that rise will later fall, for example prices or fortunes

idiom

Informal

: lo que sube tiene que bajar

After months of booming sales, the CEO reminded everyone that what goes up must come down.

Examples

The dramatic rise in housing prices proved that what goes up must come down when the market eventually crashed.
When investing, remember that what goes up must come down sooner or later.
It's true that what goes up must come down.
Have you heard the saying, what goes up must come down?
The sudden increase in unemployment rates serves as a reminder that what goes up must come down.
The stock market's rapid gains were followed by a sharp decline, illustrating that what goes up must come down.
Investors should keep in mind that what goes up must come down, especially during economic booms.

Synonyms

to slide back down like snakes and ladders

vswhat goes up must come down

Informal

8.9

Lose earlier progress quickly and go back to a worse situation

is about an eventual fall after rises rather than a sudden reversal

Surface Forms

what goes up must come down main

Morphology

what + go + up + must + come + down

The proverb's meaning ('things that rise will eventually fall') is directly and predictably derived from the constituent actions 'go up' and 'come down'; a B1 learner who knows those verbs and directional particles can infer the general idea. This rise–fall metaphor is common across languages and follows standard compositional patterns, making the expression immediately comprehensible rather than idiomatic or obscure.

Etymology

The saying what goes up must come down gives a simple picture: anything you throw into the air — the up — will fall back to the ground — the down. So, people use it to mean that things like prices or luck that 'rise' will later 'fall'.