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
Kelli Bender, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Winter typically runs from November to May, and so do the main cold-weather activities like ice climbing, downhill skiing, and snowboarding.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2025
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025
Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with eight seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada.
2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2025
Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Here are a few places where sledding rivals skiing for downhill wintertime thrills.
—Terry Ward, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downhill
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Adverb
In 2024, the pair tried downhill skiing together, and Thoth took to the sport quickly, so the duo stepped up the intensity.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Winter typically runs from November to May, and so do the main cold-weather activities like ice climbing, downhill skiing, and snowboarding.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
That’s how Breezy Johnson described having recently won the women’s downhill event and the women’s team combined at the FIS Alpine World Skiing Championships in Saalbach, Austria.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025
Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with eight seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada.
2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
But Spillane worked hard on his coverage skills and his reading of offenses, becoming much more than a downhill run-stopper.
—Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Here are a few places where sledding rivals skiing for downhill wintertime thrills.
—Terry Ward, CNN, 23 Feb. 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 13 Mar. 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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