swings and roundabouts

noun

Gains and losses that offset each other.

“Whether we pick up Mary first and then John or John first and then Mary is a matter of swings and roundabouts.”

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Meanings

nounswings and roundabouts pl (plural only)
  1. AustraliaIrelandUKpluralplural onlyGains and losses that offset each other.

    Whether we pick up Mary first and then John or John first and then Mary is a matter of swings and roundabouts.

    1 more example

    If, in order to save money, you never buy a parking ticket, you are more likely to get fined, so it's all swings and roundabouts really.

Cite this entry
APA

swings and roundabouts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swings%20and%20roundabouts

MLA

“swings and roundabouts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swings%20and%20roundabouts. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swings and roundabouts,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swings%20and%20roundabouts.

Source: swings and roundabouts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.