1
: upward on a hill or incline
2
: against difficulties
… seemed to be talking uphill.—
Willa Cather
Willa CatherExamples 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
Alexandra Gillespie, Outside, 6 Mar. 2026
When energy is cheap or abundant, such as during a sunny afternoon, water is pumped uphill.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
During an initial ascent, athletes wear adhesive skins on the bottoms of their skis, which enable them to ski uphill.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
The loneliest uphill climb is also the highest ground.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uphill
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Adverb
Hikers moving uphill can experience multiple bloom zones in a single day, with lower areas peaking earlier and upper areas like Kami and Oku Senbon reaching full bloom later.
—Alexandra Gillespie, Outside, 6 Mar. 2026
When energy is cheap or abundant, such as during a sunny afternoon, water is pumped uphill.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
The Chiefs’ run over the last decade was akin to moving a boulder uphill.
—Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
During an initial ascent, athletes wear adhesive skins on the bottoms of their skis, which enable them to ski uphill.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
On the left, Talarico now faces the uphill climb toward winning statewide as a Democrat in Texas—a climb that, depending on which Republican emerges from the primary, will be somewhere between big and enormous.
—Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
The loneliest uphill climb is also the highest ground.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for uphill
Cite this Entry
“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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