downhill

1 of 3

adverb

down·​hill ˌdau̇n-ˈhil How to pronounce downhill (audio)
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 How to pronounce downhill (audio)
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 How to pronounce downhill (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
As if that were not enough, the side of the green that connects to the fairway slopes downhill, so balls that do not hit the putting surface directly run the risk of rolling all the way into the water. Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025 The trail camp can be reached three main ways: Starting at the Cloudburst Summit trailhead, taking the Pacific Crest Trail mostly downhill 2.5 miles northeast to the trail camp. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
Noun
This extreme downhill snowboarding game sees Mario and Luigi on snowboards, while Peach opts for skis. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 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
Adjective
At 19, Harper’s poise and control are impressive, and even as a below-average outside shooter, his ability to create havoc in the paint and leverage his downhill gravity should translate to the pros immediately. The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 13 May 2025 The Hahnenkamm downhill race in Kitzbuehel, Austria, annually attracts crowds in excess of 50,000. John Meyer, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for downhill

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of downhill was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downhill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downhill. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

downhill

1 of 3 adverb
down·​hill ˌdau̇n-ˈhil How to pronounce downhill (audio)
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 How to pronounce downhill (audio)
: sloping downhill

downhill

3 of 3 noun
down·​hill -ˌhil How to pronounce downhill (audio)
1
: the sport of skiing on downhill trails
downhill skiing
2
: a skiing race against time down a trail
finished second in the downhill

More from Merriam-Webster on downhill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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