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Synonyms

go downhill

Idioms  

  1. Deteriorate, worsen, as in Ever since the recession began, the business has been going downhill. The figurative use of downhill for “decline” dates from the mid-1800s. Also see downhill all the way.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"It's terrible when you see patients go downhill in hospital when you know they would be better off somewhere else," says Laura Hichens, a nurse who leads the "discharge liaison" team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.

From BBC

That was when things started to go downhill.

From BBC

But when, a decade into their union, she wins an Oscar and he doesn’t, things begin to go downhill fast.

From Los Angeles Times

"That's when everything started to go downhill," Lily said.

From BBC

She said Owens was a "complete charmer" when they first met and started to date but things started to go downhill within a matter of weeks.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.