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

The resulting floods tore through the landscape, carving deep channels as the water rushed downhill.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

Most Saturday mornings, I stroll half a mile downhill from my tiny apartment in a bosky part of San Francisco to a farmers market.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The American, who is regarded as one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, has had eight operations since breaking her leg and ankle in the women's downhill event in Italy on 8 February.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Among the choicest: The champion skier from Norway starts his day with a breakfast that his father finds revolting, and he’s “too afraid” of downhill cycling to consider switching sports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

It is a twenty-mile downhill run through a river gorge studded with boulders and you run on an ice ledge steeply down, weaving in and out of the boulders for the whole distance.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• falling