How to Use downhill in a Sentence

downhill

1 of 3 adverb
  • The service has gone downhill under the new owner.
  • It is easier to ride a bike downhill than uphill.
  • After his divorce, he went downhill fast.
  • Her career is heading downhill.
  • Lopez likes to drive downhill and crash the glass.
    — The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • Things went way downhill from there.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Since then, it's all been downhill.
    — Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The wolf lit out downhill, with the bear hot on his tail.
    — Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
  • But since the start of the year, things have gone downhill, fast.
    — WIRED, 4 Aug. 2023
  • If your yard has a slope, a heavy rain will push the seeds downhill.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Army comes with a lot more meat on their bones, and a lot more downhill.
    — Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
  • From there, Roupp’s start went downhill fast.
    — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
  • Sit on top of the sled with feet pointing downhill.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
  • The ball came downhill and went through us to the basket.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Head downhill at any speed and the wind whips into your eyes.
    — Douglas Schnitzspahn, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2023
  • One very steep but short uphill and downhill.
    — Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
  • People ahead or downhill of you have the right-of-way.
    — Frederick Dreier, Outside, 6 Dec. 2025
  • From there, things only went downhill for the brand.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Things have only gone downhill from there.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
  • Green is one of the game's great athletes with elite speed rolling downhill.
    — Michael Shapiro, Chron, 4 Nov. 2022
  • Running downhill is great for this.
    — Brad Stulberg, Outside, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Johnson had skied the fastest downhill.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The walk to the historic walled city is downhill and an easy taxi ride back up.
    — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The bears can climb trees, swim, and run up and downhill up to 40 mph.
    — Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Shiffrin has not been racing downhill.
    — CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
  • It’s been straight downhill ever since.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
  • From there, things rapidly go downhill.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Dry plus cold plus maybe some speedy downhill means your lips are likely to get chapped.
    — Jessica Campbell-Salley, Outside, 21 Dec. 2025
  • But the team went downhill from the moment Ian left.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Has the battery life on your iPhone gone downhill this week?
    — PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025

downhill

2 of 3 noun
  • The downhill runs are first up.
    — Isabel Yip, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
  • This is one of the few races that use the full downhill course.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2021
  • Now, the 24-year-old is king of the downhill.
    — Pat Graham, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Shiffrin will race the combined, which is one run of downhill and one run of slalom.
    — Usa Today Sports, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2022
  • This will be a beast — close to a 300-yard downhill par three.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023
  • The loop ends with a fun downhill coast over some switchbacks back to the start of the loop.
    — Flip Putthoff, Arkansas Online, 21 Dec. 2021
  • That’s the nature of the Olympic downhill.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
  • The world’s top female skier didn’t win the downhill or even come close.
    — Nathan Fenno, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2022
  • The backs are really tough and (run) downhill, and tough to bring down.
    — oregonlive, 27 Oct. 2019
  • Mikaela Shiffrin is racing the Olympic downhill for the first time.
    — Usa Today Sports, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2022
  • The morning of the Olympic downhill race was sunny and bright.
    — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 6 May 2026
  • Cross your fingers for a tailwind, or only plan to tow on downhill grades.
    — K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 2 Feb. 2022
  • Watch James roll downhill, stop on a dime and pinpoint the open shooter.
    — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The skiers will go down in reverse order based on their teammates' times in the downhill.
    — Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
  • The pools are accessed by a short downhill trail, with day-pass parking available.
    — The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2023
  • It's claimed to still handle short downhills well and provide a good glide on flat surfaces.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Very hard birthday—the slow downhill roll into your grave begins.
    — Jill Mapes, Pitchfork, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Still, a start in the downhill, her weakest event, seemed unlikely.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022
  • Castle has mixed up playing on and off the ball so that his downhill, slow style could come out when needed.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • Once the field turned northwest onto the steep downhill of Zoo Drive.
    — Frankie Frisco, Arkansas Online, 5 July 2021
  • But even the hardest hits don’t compare with the crashes that occur in ice cross downhill.
    — Jen Murphy, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2020
  • Suter missed the first two downhills of this campaign after a pre-season training crash.
    — ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Fournette is a downhill runner who likes to run between the tackles.
    — Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, 17 Oct. 2019
  • The stabbing, jutting rocks that formed the trail were slower and harder on the downhill.
    — Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2021
  • The American star crashed in the women's downhill and broke her leg.
    — ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The men's downhill was postponed on Sunday because of high winds.
    — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2022
  • Lindsey Vonn races in the downhill on Friday.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 Dec. 2025
  • You will be spit out of the park (on a downhill) to run along Central Park South.
    — Talya Minsberg, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2023
  • The colder months are also the perfect time to head to the mountains for a bit of downhill skiing.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2023
  • The third and final downhill training was cancelled to preserve the slope ahead of the finals.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026

downhill

3 of 3 adjective
  • The second half of the hike is mostly downhill.
  • The first part of the movie was pretty good, but after that it was all downhill.
  • The worst part is over. It's all downhill from here.
  • His career has been all downhill in recent years.
  • There were some breezy downhill sections that were quite fun as well.
    — John Pana, cleveland, 5 Sep. 2023
  • These downhill actions gave the Spurs the edge.
    — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • Land too far above the hole and a treacherous downhill putt awaits.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2023
  • But, so yeah, these days a lot of 'em are on downhill bikes, but they're set up super stiff.
    — Outside Online, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Antlers Ridge is close to cross-country trails and a short drive from the downhill slopes.
    — The Week Staff, The Week, 20 Feb. 2022
  • The Reds are looking to Naquin to help stop the downhill stretch.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 23 Apr. 2022
  • For thrill-seekers who feel the need for speed, there’s the downhill trail at the Gurten.
    — Forrest Brown, CNN, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Brunson used it, then hit Towns in stride for a downhill attack to the rim.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In the downhill and super-G, athletes get just one run to record a time.
    — Johanna Gretschel, SELF, 4 Feb. 2022
  • Vonn will take to the slopes on Sunday for the women's downhill race.
    — Dr. Takisha Morancy, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2026
  • But Conway got back and had a big kick as the final route had more downhill grade.
    — Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2022
  • Dean is a downhill linebacker who’s proven to be an excellent blitzer.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Working against her is the downhill track at Cortina.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Then, after an attempt to find caves uphill failed, the group made a downhill dash.
    — Wenxin Fan, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2021
  • His one-cut, downhill style was perfect for the Ravens’ offense.
    — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Parts of the downhill course left skiers grasping for comparisons.
    — Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2022
  • Because the water comes from the mountains, the aqueduct is built on a downhill slope.
    — Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, 8 Aug. 2021
  • Right now, Washington is ready to set the tone as a downhill blocker in the run game.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 28 Apr. 2023
  • And Karmari’s best skill set is as a bruising downhill runner.
    — Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2022
  • D’Amato slipped ahead of Lokedi after a downhill stretch on the third mile.
    — Jayna Bardahl, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
  • Shiffrin skied a fifth-place performance in the downhill course of the Alpine combined.
    — NBC News, 17 Feb. 2022
  • In other words, the downhill skier — the person who is further down the slope — has the right of way.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Jalen Stroman seems like their type as a downhill player who isn’t afraid to hit in run support.
    — Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • As with Teague, Hayden has shown more of a single-cut, downhill style thus far.
    — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 23 June 2021
  • These also grip well along the edges—though don’t expect an edge like on downhill skis—to make the push-off more stable as well.
    — Maggie Slepian, Popular Mechanics, 13 Dec. 2022
  • Brooks is a similar back to Allgeier, a downhill runner who makes one cut and goes.
    — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downhill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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