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

At the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, Shiffrin competed in all six available events — downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, combined and mixed team. —Zack Pierce, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Usually shows go downhill (see Yellowjackets, Reacher below) but this is one of those rare instances where the opposite is true. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Noun

Between Vonn, a living legend; 29-year-old Breezy Johnson, who took gold in the downhill at February’s alpine skiing world championships; and rising star Macuga, there’s a lot to love in the speed department on the U.S. Ski Team. —Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Street represented the United States at three Olympic Games, taking silver in the downhill at Lillehammer in 1994 and winning the gold in super G at Nagano in 1998. —Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2025

Adjective

At its core, Malzahn’s system focuses on establishing a downhill run game to set up a vertical-pass element. —Joey Knight, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025

The two-time World Cup champion ranks seventh in the downhill standings and has two podium finishes this season, winning gold at the Saalbach World Championships and taking third at Kvitfjell. —Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for downhill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill
• gristmill

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