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 of downhill

Noun

• dip
• descent
• decline
• fall

Adjective

• easy
• smooth
• simple
• cheap

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

Earlier this year, Google shipped Project Genie and sent the entire gaming market downhill. —Nicole Fraenkel, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

The 28-year-old Italian has been a model of consistency reeling off top-10 results this season and sixth place in the Olympic downhill at nearby Cortina d’Ampezzo. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

Noun

In the first race at Milan Cortina, someone crashed right in front of me on the first downhill. —Gus Schumacher, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026

The Italian, who returned from a broken left leg just before the Milan Cortina Games and then won gold in super-G and giant slalom, skipped Friday's downhill and seemed to struggle with landing the many jumps in the course. —Arkansas Online, 1 Mar. 2026

Adjective

Sexton jogged back out to the perimeter to collect an exasperated pass from Giddey, who reset himself into downhill motion off the ball. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

Suter has no realistic chance of winning the downhill globe despite the Swiss racer’s victory Friday, the sixth World Cup win of her career, but first in downhill since a race in Germany in January 2022. —ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026

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