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

It’s been a little more than five years since Lindsey Vonn won a world championship downhill bronze in Are, Sweden, in her last professional race. —The Vail Daily, The Denver Post, 12 Dec. 2024

But the car was still moving downhill, Mocaby told the dispatcher. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024

Noun

If there’s a dry spell, fat biking is a perfect alternative to downhill skiing and Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association grooms a number of areas around town that are free to access. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 10 Dec. 2024

The central northern Michigan city is a downhill skiing mecca for a reason. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 7 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Miller has won slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill races in a span of 16 days. 2007 — Major League Baseball’s Mitchell Report is released, identifying 85 names to differing degrees in the 409-page document. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024

The women racing in the downhill and super-G include alpine ski team athletes Wright, Macuga, Keely Cashman, Breezy Johnson, Tricia Mangan and Jackie Wiles, as well as Haley Cutler in her first World Cup. —Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 13 Dec. 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