uphill

adverb

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˈhil

Definition of uphill

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : upward on a hill or incline

2 : against difficulties seemed to be talking uphill— Willa Cather

uphill

noun

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˌhil

Definition of uphill (Entry 2 of 3)

: rising ground : ascent

uphill

adjective

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˌhil

Definition of uphill (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : situated on elevated ground

2a : going up : ascending

b : being the higher one or part especially of a set specifically : being nearer the top of an incline

3 : difficult, laborious

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about uphill

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Examples of uphill in a Sentence

Adverb

It is easier to ride a bicycle downhill than uphill.

Noun

no matter where you go bicycle touring, the uphills always seem to outnumber the downhills

Adjective

It has been an uphill battle for her to get an education. an uphill battle to eradicate poverty in an area of the state that has never known anything else

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Lime says its bikes, in contrast, are upscale, with a battery to provide an electric assist for going uphill. — Mike Cherney, WSJ, "Lime Looks to Peddle Its Bicycles in Australia," 16 Jan. 2019 Chapman, upon exiting the helicopter, immediately charged uphill through the snow toward enemy positions while under heavy fire from three directions. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Post-Trump Slump?," 24 Aug. 2018 According to the Guinness World Record webpage, the pole sits at an altitude of 9,301 feet, and Davis’s entire journey to get there from the starting point at Hercules Inlet in Antarctica, where she’ll be dropped off via airplane, will be uphill. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "How an Extreme Endurance Athlete Trains to Trek 704 Miles From Antarctica to the South Pole," 11 Oct. 2018 Able to propel up to 65,000 pounds of metal and passengers uphill. — Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times, "An uphill battle to get electric trolleybuses on Madison RapidRide route," 27 Aug. 2018 More than 60% of the stage is spent going uphill on three of the most brutal climbs the Tour de France has to offer. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "The Stage that Could Decide the Tour de France Is Also Its Shortest," 24 July 2018 As early as 1604, mine owners began laying wooden rails in tracks downhill from their pits to the nearest river, running on them wooden carts that could be pulled back uphill by a horse after unloading. — David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Energy: A Human History,’ by Richard Rhodes," 7 June 2018 Shoulder-season picks for women and men. Outdoor Research Optimizer ($399) Best For: Redlining Most winter hard shells are oppressive in balmy conditions—or when hiking uphill regardless of the weather. — Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, "The Best Rain Jackets for Every Activity," 20 June 2018 Driving the ball uphill over a lake gives way to long fairway and green guarded by sand traps. — Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, "We love to hate these golf holes in Louisville. Here's our Nasty 9," 19 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Lag is minimal and max torque of 306 pound-feet comes at just 2,000 rpm, so there's a pleasing and plentiful burst in nearly every driving scenario, even uphill. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio carves a sweet line in crowded crossover class," 28 June 2017 Turn it up to the higher levels of assist and even a steep uphill grade requires moderate effort. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "E-Biking My Way Through New York's Five Boro Bike Tour," 9 May 2019 Most impressive are the two-lever deck-height adjustment and an excellent tread configuration that boosts traction for uphill and sidehill mowing. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The 7 Best Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers," 11 Apr. 2019 Rear-wheel drive works best for for uphill mowing and sidehill mowing. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The Lawn Mower Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Buy the Right Mower," 22 Feb. 2019 And in Annecy-Le-Vieux, a village uphill of the city center, Le Clos des Sens’s chef Laurent Petit shines with innovative two-Michelin star dishes in an intimate, relaxed setting. — Elizabeth Wellington, Vogue, "Exploring Annecy, the Venice of the French Alps," 7 Nov. 2018 In 2013, Gevers moved himself and his company to the nation’s smallest canton, about half an hour uphill from Zurich. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, WIRED, "The Blockchain: A Love Story—And a Horror Story," 18 June 2018 For a quarter century, the 1.86-kilometer road that runs uphill to the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, England, has hosted the annual Festival of Speed. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Robot racecars storm the most glamorous hill in motorsports," 3 Aug. 2018 The Cougars will have head-to-head tiebreakers on Stanford and Oregon, which also faces an uphill climb having already lost three conference games. — Theo Lawson, The Seattle Times, "The Cougars are top-10 and in the driver’s seat for Pac-12 North. Does WSU have a shot at the playoff?," 29 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Both films would benefit greatly from a Chinese release but already could face an uphill climb because of edgy content, which Chinese censors frown upon. — Steven Zeitchik, Washington Post, "The trade war’s unlikely victim: Hollywood," 14 June 2019 Michael Grieco, a defense attorney and state legislator from Miami Beach who is also not involved in the case, agreed that prosecutors face an uphill climb. — Curt Anderson, Anchorage Daily News, "Legal experts question arrest of Florida deputy over lack of action during school massacre," 5 June 2019 What's more, if energy expenditures really play a driving role in languages, many difficult speech sounds would face an uphill climb to adoption. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "A change in our diets may have changed the way we speak," 14 Mar. 2019 Adam has also been facing an uphill battle following last year’s dramatic encounter between DeAndre Nico and Reagan Strange. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'The Voice' Fans May Be Punishing LB Crew for Adam Levine's Dramatic Actions Last Year," 7 May 2019 For gender-nonconforming people, getting medical care can be an uphill battle. — Suzannah Weiss, Teen Vogue, "7 Things to Know About Birth Control If You Are Transgender or Nonbinary," 1 May 2019 Post Fenty Beauty, many brands have expanded their ranges, but capturing the nuances of deeper skin remains an uphill battle. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "365 Days of Foundation: How One Vogue Writer Finally Found a Perfect Match," 18 Apr. 2019 There's also an uphill climb to reach the board's stated goal of one billion users, with all the cultural shifts such growth implies. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Book tells the inside story of how Reddit came to be the Internet’s “id”," 30 Dec. 2018 Cohn points out that Democrats faced huge structural barriers, including severe partisan gerrymandering and a heavily urban voter base, that makes winning the House an uphill climb. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The strange argument that Democrats actually lost the midterms, debunked," 9 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'uphill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.