downhill

1 of 3

adverb

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

downhill

2 of 3

noun

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

downhill

3 of 3

adjective

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

Synonyms

Noun

• declension
• decline
• declivity
• descent
• dip
• downgrade
• fall
• hang
• hanging

Adjective

• cheap
• easy
• effortless
• facile
• fluent
• fluid
• hands-down
• light
• painless
• ready
• royal
• simple
• smooth
• snap
• soft

Examples 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

Adverb

The fire burned across eight watersheds — land that moves rainfall and snowmelt downhill to replenish creeks, streams, rivers and reservoirs. —Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 14 June 2024

Many viewed the Nets’ Dec. 27 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks as the moment when their season went downhill, the game where Bridges and Thomas only played a quarter and Johnson, Finney-Smith Nic Claxton and Spencer Dinwiddie did not play in what was the second game of a back-to-back set. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024

Noun

In many ways, the merger catalyzed Forward Air’s downhill slump over the past year. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 20 June 2024

Reaching the secluded strand entails a 40-to-60-minute ferry ride from Auckland, a taxi or rideshare to the island’s north shore, and then a short downhill hike. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 May 2024

Adjective

The Chargers’ new additions include running backs Gus Edwards, who is known of his downhill approach, and J.K. Dobbins, whose explosiveness has resulted in per-carry career average of 5.8 yards. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024

Various hiking options also take visitors along the back side of the fort and downhill trails for mountain biking. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 31 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids 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