uphill

adverb up·hill \ ˈəp-ˈhil \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of uphill

1 : upward on a hill or incline

2 : against difficulties

seemed to be talking uphill
—Willa Cather

See uphill defined for English-language learners

See uphill defined for kids

Examples of uphill in a Sentence

It is easier to ride a bicycle downhill than uphill.

Recent Examples of uphill from the Web

For those who want a more strenuous event, the hike will continue uphill to the summit of Lookout Mountain.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Manchester Edition," 17 Apr. 2018
His latest fight with the tech world has been uphill all the way, with Pono a casualty.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Neil Young on tech giants ('jerks'), audio quality ('bad') and his new movie with Darryl Hannah," 14 Mar. 2018
Tough stretch The Pistons were fighting uphill all night, but the game was effectively over when the Thunder hit the Pistons with a 15-0 run to start the second half.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons rookie Luke Kennard knows trade rumors are 'business'," 27 Jan. 2018
Hikers follow a series of switchbacks uphill, passing Jewel Glacier to the east of Crow Pass Cabin, and eventually arrive at Crow Pass and Raven Glacier.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "11 glacier adventures within 150 miles of Anchorage," 5 June 2017
The couple next looked at Maplewood, N.J., a leafy enclave with beautiful rows of Victorians stretching uphill from the Norman Rockwell-like main street.

— brooke lea foster, New York Times, "Comparing Suburbs: Montclair in New Jersey vs. Dobbs Ferry in New York," 23 Feb. 2018
And the little guy is always going uphill, but that’s why God made him a little bit quicker and probably a little bit more determined.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "From would-be autobiography, Keith Jackson’s own oral history," 13 Jan. 2018
The city has no immediate cure for swinging car doors and for-hire cars blocking bikes farther uphill, as shown in this YouTube video by cyclist David Seater.

— mike lindblom, The Seattle Times, "Seattle creates Denny Way bus lane this week from Fairview Avenue to Stewart Street," 25 Sep. 2017
Others got off the tram and headed back uphill, over and over again.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "15-year-old climbs 24,000 feet in 10 hours to win Alyeska Climbathon," 10 Sep. 2017

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.

First Known Use of uphill

1535

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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uphill

noun up·hill \ ˈəp-ˌhil \

Definition of uphill

: rising ground : ascent

Examples of uphill in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of uphill from the Web

Reed's remaining task: par the uphill, dogleg right, 465-yard par-4 18th at Augusta National to win his first major.

— barry svrluga, Anchorage Daily News, "Reed wins the 2018 Masters, holds off Fowler, Spieth," 9 Apr. 2018
Like the mythological figure who must continually push a boulder uphill only to have the boulder roll downhill again near the top, Vogel will face one impediment after another as his team attempts to finish its season with dignity.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Frank Vogel faces obstacles as season winds down," 7 Apr. 2018
The course has uphill, downhill and sidehill lies, fast greens and sand traps on all but one hole.

— joyce rudolph, latimes.com, "On the Town: Women are joining men’s groups for the first time," 3 Apr. 2018
After all, running uphill helps strengthen both the glutes and hips.

— cassie shortsleeve, SELF, "5 Surprising Things I Learned Training for My First Marathon," 1 Apr. 2018
Even on the uphill runs in the middle of the island, where the terrain rises from sea level to more than 7,000 feet in a short drive, the engine did not falter.

— g. chambers williams iii, star-telegram, "All-new Kona small crossover joins Hyundai lineup, starting at $19,500 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 31 Mar. 2018
Among his innovations is a patent for moving tube riders not down a chute, but using a gush of water to push them uphill.

— steve vockrodt scott canon and katy bergen, kansascity, "The making of Schlitterbahn’s Verrückt water slide: Too much, too fast? | The Kansas City Star," 12 Aug. 2016
Behind [the building] there's a path uphill to the wall.

— anna hartley, chicagotribune.com, "Hiking the authentic Great Wall of China, without the tourists," 16 Mar. 2018
Democrats faced uphill climbs in special elections last year in Kansas, Montana, Georgia and South Carolina.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Pennsylvania election another reminder that winning - and not being close - is what matters," 15 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of uphill

1548

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

uphill Synonyms

uphill

adjective up·hill \ ˈəp-ˌhil \

Definition of uphill

1 : situated on elevated ground

2 a : 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

See uphill defined for English-language learners

Examples of uphill in a Sentence

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 of uphill from the Web

Already facing an uphill battle in the November midterms, Republicans will now have to grip with a leader who has the cloud of the Department of Justice overhead.

— cleveland.com, "Statehouse continues to reel over reports tying House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger to FBI inquiry," 10 Apr. 2018
If only Han, Chewie, and Lando Calrissian make it into the original Star Wars trilogy, and these new folks don’t get a mention, caring about their fates is an uphill battle.

— josh spiegel, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Toughest Thing the Han Solo Movie Must Do," 9 Apr. 2018
Critics have warned, however, that the effort still faces an uphill battle.

— jenna carlesso, Courant Community, "Marijuana Proponents Praise Legislative Victory, Ponder Next Steps," 7 Apr. 2018
Despite excitement from Democrats, O’Rourke faces an uphill battle.

— madeleine rivera | fox news, Fox News, "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz faces challenger raising staggering amount of money," 5 Apr. 2018
Earning that trust — with consumers, corporations, and government agencies alike — for Huawei will likely be an uphill battle as its faced several blows while trying to create inroads with the US market.

— dani deahl, The Verge, "Huawei says it isn’t giving up on the US market anytime soon," 30 Mar. 2018
Even with these possible improvements, however, members of both the Ho-Chunk and White Earth Nation tribes cautioned that progress will likely be slow, and many expect an uphill battle in the years ahead.

— dina fine maron, Scientific American, "The Fight to Keep Tobacco Sacred," 29 Mar. 2018
Lara, campaigning to be the state insurance commissioner, and de León, in an uphill battle to unseat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both later won endorsements from the nurses union.

— angela hart and taryn luna, sacbee, "Under pressure, California Assembly pitches alternatives to single-payer health care | The Sacramento Bee," 26 Mar. 2018
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is facing an uphill battle to reinvigorate the star duo of Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba as concerns continue to grow surrounding their mental state at Old Trafford according to reports.

— SI.com, "Man Utd Fear Deteriorating 'Mental State' of Star Duo Alexis Sanchez & Paul Pogba," 24 Mar. 2018