1
: upward on a hill or incline
2
: against difficulties
seemed to be talking uphill—
Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Synonyms
Noun
Adjective
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 WebDennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 14 July 2023
Each wear either the yellow or blue Colombian team’s national soccer jersey with a number, to ease identification, and charge $20 to move a bag uphill – or even for $100, a child.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 15 Apr. 2023
Poor gearing can leave your little one pedaling furiously, but going nowhere fast, or struggling hard to move the pedals at all while going uphill.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
In an evolving population, selection will always drive that population uphill.
—Veronique Greenwood, Quanta Magazine, 15 Aug. 2023
Hundreds of workers built Machu Picchu by pushing heavy stones uphill or carving them directly out of the mountainside’s bedrock.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2023
In the first few episodes, the contestants have been dunked in and out of a water tank while trying to retrieve balls and carry heavy statues uphill, and that's only the beginning.
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023
Visitors must hoof it more than half a mile uphill along a winding road, cumbersome beach gear in tow.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2023
Flames could be seen speeding uphill, and officials were initially concerned the blaze could grow to 100 acres.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2023
Walter Immerzeel, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2021
An underground pump house would contain four reversible pump-turbine units that can be used to pump water from the lower reservoir uphill to the other lake and then generate electricity as the water flows back down to the lower reservoir.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 14 July 2023
Fit people might need more than a casual walk; hiking and rucking uphill can get you there.
—Marty Munson, Men's Health, 23 June 2023
Her slowest, on an uphill, was 10:05.
—Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2021
The two collided on the slope, with each presenting testimony claiming the other was the uphill — and therefore at fault — skier.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2023
But this idea of minimizing anticipation of hard tasks, like decision-making, project work and uphills?
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Mar. 2023
The rest of the uphill is steady and defeating.
—Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2022
Your uphill is downhill for him.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Sep. 2020
Thomas Lee, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Getting that docu-series investment from U.S. streaming platforms, however, remains an uphill climb.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2023
But those superhero movies face an uphill climb, especially after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Flash both underperformed at the box office earlier this year.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
The intensity of this segregation has made all Black progress in the city an uphill climb, including in the rap scene.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Aug. 2023
The improvements include repaving, an eastbound lane for trucks that struggle on an uphill climb, new guardrails and drainage upgrades.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2023
But Carter faces another uphill climb to make the Titans’ regular-season roster.
—Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 19 Aug. 2023
As a botanist, she’s worked at reforestation sites making the slow uphill climb of restoring the islands’ native plant life.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2023
What if that distance is straight uphill, or through difficult terrain?
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 10 June 2023
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Adverb
But the operation of pumping the water back uphill would use about 7 million MWh per year.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 14 July 2023
Each wear either the yellow or blue Colombian team’s national soccer jersey with a number, to ease identification, and charge $20 to move a bag uphill – or even for $100, a child.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 15 Apr. 2023
Poor gearing can leave your little one pedaling furiously, but going nowhere fast, or struggling hard to move the pedals at all while going uphill.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
In an evolving population, selection will always drive that population uphill.
—Veronique Greenwood, Quanta Magazine, 15 Aug. 2023
Hundreds of workers built Machu Picchu by pushing heavy stones uphill or carving them directly out of the mountainside’s bedrock.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2023
In the first few episodes, the contestants have been dunked in and out of a water tank while trying to retrieve balls and carry heavy statues uphill, and that's only the beginning.
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023
Visitors must hoof it more than half a mile uphill along a winding road, cumbersome beach gear in tow.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2023
Flames could be seen speeding uphill, and officials were initially concerned the blaze could grow to 100 acres.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2023
Noun
Compared with glaciers in a steady state, melting glaciers will provide more river water in the short term but less in the long term as glaciers retreat uphill and ice thins.
—Walter Immerzeel, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2021
An underground pump house would contain four reversible pump-turbine units that can be used to pump water from the lower reservoir uphill to the other lake and then generate electricity as the water flows back down to the lower reservoir.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 14 July 2023
Fit people might need more than a casual walk; hiking and rucking uphill can get you there.
—Marty Munson, Men's Health, 23 June 2023
Her slowest, on an uphill, was 10:05.
—Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2021
The two collided on the slope, with each presenting testimony claiming the other was the uphill — and therefore at fault — skier.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2023
But this idea of minimizing anticipation of hard tasks, like decision-making, project work and uphills?
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Mar. 2023
The rest of the uphill is steady and defeating.
—Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2022
Your uphill is downhill for him.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Sep. 2020
Adjective
But competition is intense and 1587, like any startup, faces an uphill climb to break through the crowd, analysts say.
—Thomas Lee, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
Getting that docu-series investment from U.S. streaming platforms, however, remains an uphill climb.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2023
But those superhero movies face an uphill climb, especially after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Flash both underperformed at the box office earlier this year.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
The intensity of this segregation has made all Black progress in the city an uphill climb, including in the rap scene.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Aug. 2023
The improvements include repaving, an eastbound lane for trucks that struggle on an uphill climb, new guardrails and drainage upgrades.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2023
But Carter faces another uphill climb to make the Titans’ regular-season roster.
—Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 19 Aug. 2023
As a botanist, she’s worked at reforestation sites making the slow uphill climb of restoring the islands’ native plant life.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2023
What if that distance is straight uphill, or through difficult terrain?
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 10 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uphill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing uphill
Dictionary Entries Near uphill
Cite this Entry
“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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