down·hill
ˌdau̇n-ˈhil 
1
: toward the bottom of a hill
2
: toward a worsened or inferior state or level
—used especially in the phrase go downhill
down·hill
ˈdau̇n-ˌhil
1
: a descending slope
2
a
: the sport of skiing on downhill trails
—often used attributively
b
: a skiing race against time down a trail
finished second in the downhill
down·hill
ˈdau̇n-ˌhil
1
: not difficult : easy
after that problem the rest was downhill
2
: sloping downhill
3
: closer to the bottom of an incline
your downhill ski
4
: progressively worse
5
American football
: relating to, employing, or being a style of running in which a ballcarrier moves powerfully forward into the line of scrimmage and down the field toward the opponent's end zone without a lot of movement toward the sidelines to avoid tacklers
a downhill runner
The Tigers use their tight ends as blockers. They're more suited to an assertive, downhill running game now.—
Bernie Miklasz
Bernie MiklaszExamples of downhill in a Sentence
Adverb
It is easier to ride a bike downhill than uphill.
Her career is heading downhill.
After his divorce, he went downhill fast.
The service has gone downhill under the new owner.
Noun
most runners will have their best splits on the downhills
Adjective
The second half of the hike is mostly downhill.
The worst part is over. It's all downhill from here.
The first part of the movie was pretty good, but after that it was all downhill.
His career has been all downhill in recent years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
That then obviously flows somewhere, in this case downhill and toward the camp.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA Today, 12 July 2025
The Editors, Outside Online, 26 June 2025
Men’s downhill: Odermatt (605 points) leads countryman Franjo von Allmen by 83 points.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2025
Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Like any outdoor sport, starting slow on low-risk, low-consequence roads and trails is best for getting to know your vehicle and practicing essentials like tire placement, navigating blind corners, and dealing with steep uphill and downhill roads.
—R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for downhill
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Adverb
However, when the pandemic hit, things quickly went downhill.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
That then obviously flows somewhere, in this case downhill and toward the camp.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA Today, 12 July 2025
Noun
Overall, its versatile geometry, persistence on uphills, and speed on downhills won our hearts.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 26 June 2025
Men’s downhill: Odermatt (605 points) leads countryman Franjo von Allmen by 83 points.
—Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
While the 14th hole is the exclamation point, the par 3 holes overall at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Course are the course’s other punctuation marks, most playing either along the lake or having downhill shots that employ the lake as a visually arresting backdrop.
—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Like any outdoor sport, starting slow on low-risk, low-consequence roads and trails is best for getting to know your vehicle and practicing essentials like tire placement, navigating blind corners, and dealing with steep uphill and downhill roads.
—R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for downhill
Cite this Entry
“Downhill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downhill. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downhill
1 of 3 adverb
down·hill
ˌdau̇n-ˈhil
1
: toward the bottom of a hill
sleds speeding downhill
2
: toward a worsened or lower state or level
her health went downhill quickly
downhill
2 of 3 adjective
down·hill
ˈdau̇n-ˌhil
: sloping downhill
downhill
3 of 3 noun
down·hill
-ˌhil
1
: the sport of skiing on downhill trails
downhill skiing
2
: a skiing race against time down a trail
finished second in the downhill
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