downhill

American  

[doun-hil, doun-hil] / ˈdaʊnˈhɪl, ˈdaʊnˌhɪl /

adverb

1. down the slope of a hill; downward.

2. into a worse or inferior condition.

   The business has been going downhill.

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adjective

1. going or tending downward on or as on a hill.

2. free of problems or obstacles; easy.

   After the initial setbacks on the project, it was downhill all the way.

3. of or relating to skiing downhill.

noun

1. a timed ski race on a steep slope in which competitors take the most direct route to the finish line following a course with relatively few turns and attaining very high speeds.

downhill British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈhɪl /

adjective

1. going or sloping down

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adverb

1. towards the bottom of a hill; downwards

2. informal to decline; deteriorate

noun

1. the downward slope of a hill; descent

2. a competitive event in which skiers are timed in a downhill run

Etymology

Origin of downhill

First recorded in 1585–95; down ¹ + hill

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downhill

When 17 million gallons of water poured out of a broken water main under Sunset Boulevard into downhill neighborhoods in West Hollywood, family businesses and residents’ cars and personal items were in the flood zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

And then it’s been kind of going downhill and I feel like people pay these taxes for no services is what it gets down to,” he told Fox News.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Turn Nine is notoriously challenging, with its downhill entry, and an exit kerb that's easy to over-run.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Pumped-storage systems store water in reservoirs at different elevations, releasing water to generate electricity but catching it in downhill basins, then pumping it back up during periods of low power demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

It was midsummer in the Antarctic: the weather from now on would begin to go downhill.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• falling