uphill

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˈhil

How to pronounce uphill (audio)

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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

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˌhil

How to pronounce uphill (audio)

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Definition of uphill (Entry 2 of 3)

: rising ground : ascent

uphill

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˌhil

How to pronounce uphill (audio)

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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 Officials sounded a tsunami siren that forced the town’s residents to run and drive uphill. — Jasmine Aguilera, Time, "'It Felt Like The House Was Sinking.' 1 Person Dead After 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico," 7 Jan. 2020 For people who grew up using typewriters, though, exclamation points were the equivalent of walking 3 miles uphill in the snow. — Dave Murphy, SFChronicle.com, "Smart people, dumb comments: Surviving the office and the Thanksgiving table," 21 Nov. 2019 Trey Marshall’s uphill climb from undrafted college free agent to starting Broncos safety required an underdog mindset adopted as a teenager while practicing in helmet and pads amid the hazy Florida heat. — Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post, "Broncos safety Trey Marshall aims to build on breakout performance in first NFL start," 27 Dec. 2019 Griffin eyed the hole, with his ball sitting slightly uphill just under six feet away. — Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, "Lanto Griffin wins 2019 Houston Open," 13 Oct. 2019 But Arctic flowers persisted, perhaps by retreating uphill. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "DNA recovered from Arctic lakes holds clues for our future world," 10 Dec. 2019 Such surface lifts allow skiers to shimmy onto the belt, which grips their planks and ferries them uphill. — oregonlive, "Ski season preview: What’s new at Mount Hood resorts, Mt. Bachelor this year?," 21 Nov. 2019 Maybe that was because Pacino always seemed to be fighting uphill, having to try harder than anyone else. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Why Al Pacino Matters," 29 Nov. 2019 After a gondola and chairlift ride, followed by 90 minutes of marching uphill on grassy slopes, the trail contoured up the valley and onto the lateral moraine. — Simon Akam, Outside Online, "You Won’t Pass Chamonix’s Mountain Guiding Test," 27 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Kentucky has gained some recent buzz in his recruitment but still faces an uphill climb considering Baron’s father serves as a player development coach for Tennessee. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "High-profile targets abound for Kentucky football before early signing day," 12 Dec. 2019 Pyroclastic flows can even travel uphill or cross water. — Maya Wei-haas, National Geographic, "Volcano Safety Tips," 20 Oct. 2019 But cold-blooded predators are moving uphill into places where no bird expects them, and eventually those birds will be in trouble. — Nell Zink, Harper's magazine, "The Bird Angle," 28 Oct. 2019 The uphill climb Patrick faces was evident Saturday. — BostonGlobe.com, "California voters greet Deval Patrick dismissively - The Boston Globe," 17 Nov. 2019 At Atayni’s olive grove, the picking continued with family members posted uphill as lookouts. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, "West Bank settlers escalate attacks on Arab olive harvesters in annual violence," 12 Nov. 2019 Arsenal's afternoon became a real uphill task when Ainsley Maitland-Niles received a second yellow for a clash with Neil Taylor, and the Gunners were down to ten men. — SI.com, "Arsenal 3-2 Aston Villa: Report, Ratings & Reaction as 10-Man Gunners Snatch Late Win Over Villans," 22 Sep. 2019 And these fans are used to rooting for teams that face the same uphill climb against richer clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "Forget Montreal. The Tampa Bay Rays Should Move to...London?," 28 June 2019 The anatomy of another loss The Pistons were fighting uphill because of two bad stretches — one to start the game, the other to start the third quarter. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "How the Detroit Pistons threw away another chance to beat Charlotte Hornets," 28 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective But many of the reforms enacted for the new deal, which replace the old North American Free Trade Agreement, face an uphill battle against entrenched pro-company pseudo-unions. — Washington Post, "Mexican official: 80% of labor contracts are pro-company," 7 Jan. 2020 Who's arriving: Three-star prospect Jutahn McClain faces an uphill battle for early playing time but could contribute at times like like Tisdale, Rodriguez and Smoke did during their redshirt seasons. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "A closer look at who could replace Lynn Bowden and 2019 seniors for Kentucky football," 1 Jan. 2020 The points of contention that came up illustrate the uphill battle the Ohio Fairness Act faces today. — Laura Hancock, cleveland, "Ohio LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill has widespread public, business support. Why hasn’t it passed?," 31 Dec. 2019 In the traditional restaurant world, there is an uphill battle to stay relevant. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Travis Kalanick’s next move is kitchens," 25 Dec. 2019 In an industry where Tappen constantly faces an uphill battle, Roenick undercut all her noteworthy professional accomplishments by reducing her to her desirability among men. — Hemal Jhaveri, For The Win, "There's no defending Jeremy Roenick's inappropriate and demeaning comments," 24 Dec. 2019 Mozilla is probably facing an uphill battle because the three-judge panel unanimously agreed that the FCC can repeal its own net neutrality rules. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC’s “illogical” claim that broadband isn’t telecommunications faces appeal," 13 Dec. 2019 The petition, which may face an uphill battle under existing rules, opens another front in a long-running struggle between AIDS activists and the drug maker. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Activists seek to block a Gilead patent extension on a lucrative HIV drug," 6 Dec. 2019 Marion faces an uphill battle the tournament, being in the same sectional as Northwestern. — Matthew Vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "Ranking top 10 IndyStar Miss Basketball contenders at the season's midway point," 30 Dec. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Uphill.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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More Definitions for uphill

uphill

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of uphill

(Entry 1 of 2)

: toward the top of a hill or mountain

uphill

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of uphill (Entry 2 of 2)

: going or sloping up toward the top of a hill or mountain

: not easy : difficult to do, deal with, etc.

See the full definition for uphill in the English Language Learners Dictionary

uphill

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˈhil

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Kids Definition of uphill

(Entry 1 of 2)

: in an upward direction The bus lurched around a corner and started to go uphill.— Beverly Cleary, Henry Huggins

uphill

up·hill | \ ˈəp-ˌhil

\

Kids Definition of uphill (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : going up an uphill trail

2 : difficult sense 1 His recovery will be an uphill battle.

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