downhill

1 of 3

adverb

down·​hill ˌdau̇n-ˈhil 

1

: toward the bottom of a hill

2

: toward a worsened or inferior state or level

—used especially in the phrase go downhill

downhill

2 of 3

noun

down·​hill ˈdau̇n-ˌhil 

1

: a descending slope

2

a

: the sport of skiing on downhill trails

—often used attributively

b

: a skiing race against time down a trail

finished second in the downhill

downhill

3 of 3

adjective

down·​hill ˈdau̇n-ˌhil 

1

: not difficult : easy

after that problem the rest was downhill

2

: sloping downhill

3

: closer to the bottom of an incline

your downhill ski

4

: progressively worse

5

American football : relating to, employing, or being a style of running in which a ballcarrier moves powerfully forward into the line of scrimmage and down the field toward the opponent's end zone without a lot of movement toward the sidelines to avoid tacklers

a downhill runner

The Tigers use their tight ends as blockers. They're more suited to an assertive, downhill running game now.

—Bernie Miklasz

Synonyms

Noun

• declension
• decline
• declivity
• descent
• dip
• downgrade
• fall
• hang
• hanging

Adjective

• cheap
• easy
• effortless
• facile
• fluent
• fluid
• hands-down
• light
• painless
• ready
• royal
• simple
• smooth
• snap
• soft

Examples of downhill in a Sentence

Adverb

It is easier to ride a bike downhill than uphill.

Her career is heading downhill.

After his divorce, he went downhill fast.

The service has gone downhill under the new owner.

Noun

most runners will have their best splits on the downhills

Adjective

The second half of the hike is mostly downhill.

The worst part is over. It's all downhill from here.

The first part of the movie was pretty good, but after that it was all downhill.

His career has been all downhill in recent years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The Rockets, pressuring to half court defensively and forcing action downhill on the other end, were in the bonus before the first quarter was halfway done. —Anthony Slater, New York Times, 1 May 2025

And her proficiency at creating shots at the rim — both rolling downhill off screens and with her back to the basket — remains a key weapon that Marsh will work to highlight in the new offense. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025

Noun

Except for March 22 when high winds caused the cancellation of the men’s and women’s downhill races, the 5850 Fest went off without a hitch. —Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Some of them are physical, downhill runners, and some of them are guys who can take a misdirection, scissors-type run and go the other direction with it. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2025

Adjective

On Monday, for example, Vancouver’s first power-play unit ran two defenders, with Hughes regularly playing on his downhill side at the right flank while Hronek manned the point atop the Canucks’ five-on-four umbrella. —Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

This can lead to situations – such as Dominique Gisin and Tina Maze’s gold medal tie in the women’s downhill ski race at the 2014 Sochi Olympics – in which the timing officials admitted that their equipment could have revealed the actual winner. —Arthur Daemmrich, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for downhill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill
• gristmill

Kids Definition

downhill

1 of 3 adverb

down·​hill ˌdau̇n-ˈhil 

1

: toward the bottom of a hill

sleds speeding downhill

2

: toward a worsened or lower state or level

her health went downhill quickly

downhill

2 of 3 adjective

down·​hill ˈdau̇n-ˌhil 

: sloping downhill

downhill

3 of 3 noun

down·​hill -ˌhil 

1

: the sport of skiing on downhill trails

downhill skiing

2

: a skiing race against time down a trail

finished second in the downhill