uphill

1 of 3

adverb

up·​hill ˈəp-ˈhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
Synonyms of uphillnext
1
: upward on a hill or incline
2
: against difficulties
… seemed to be talking uphill.—Willa Cather

uphill

2 of 3

noun

up·​hill ˈəp-ˌhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
: rising ground : ascent

uphill

3 of 3

adjective

up·​hill ˈəp-ˌhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
1
: situated on elevated ground
2
a
: going up : ascending
b
: being the higher one or part especially of a set
specifically : being nearer the top of an incline
3
: difficult, laborious

Synonyms of uphill

Relevance

Noun

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of uphill in a Sentence

Adverb It is easier to ride a bicycle downhill than uphill. Noun no matter where you go bicycle touring, the uphills always seem to outnumber the downhills Adjective It has been an uphill battle for her to get an education. an uphill battle to eradicate poverty in an area of the state that has never known anything else
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
In regard to his tight end learning curve, Franks has climbed uphill at his own pace. — Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026 Fire moves uphill, so protect your property. — The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
There’s a decent amount of uphill and downhill. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 18 June 2026 The Chiefs’ run over the last decade was akin to moving a boulder uphill. — Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The putt is fairly straight and uphill. — John Dunlap, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2026 That should help make light work of steep uphill slopes and uneven road surfaces. — New Atlas, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for uphill

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of uphill was in 1535

Phrases Containing uphill

Rhymes for uphill

See All Rhymes for uphill

Browse Nearby Words

Up-Helly-Aa
uphill
uphill battle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

uphill

1 of 2 adverb
up·​hill ˈəp-ˈhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
1
: in an upward direction
2
: against difficulties

uphill

2 of 2 adjective
up·​hill ˌəp-ˌhil How to pronounce uphill (audio)
1
: being on high ground
2
: going up : ascending
3
: difficult sense 1
an uphill struggle

More from Merriam-Webster on uphill

Nglish: Translation of uphill for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All