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

Three years later, he aced No. 7 at Pebble Beach, the cliff-side hole that at 106 yards manages to be both stunning and treacherous because it’s so steeply downhill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

For Bondi, it was all downhill from there.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

These lakes are often located at high altitudes, sitting above river systems that help channel burst waters far downhill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

On Jan. 30, Vonn suffered a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, with meniscus and bone damage, when she crashed during a downhill race in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“If I’d seen how far he’d gone downhill, I wouldn’t have stopped the process. Why? On what grounds? We didn’t know until he got to Boston that the cancer had invaded the vertebrae.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• falling