1
: upward on a hill or incline
2
: against difficulties
seemed to be talking uphill—
Willa Cather
Willa CatherSynonyms
Noun
Adjective
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 WebDamien Cave Atul Loke, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Being able to go immediately uphill to a deep dribble handoff or pitch-and-hit, swinging quick screen behind the screen, behind the swing.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2024
Pico, the police spokesperson, said officers tried to evacuate homes farther uphill off Lahainaluna Road, going door to door along two streets.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2024
Some people abandoned their black-tie attire and high heels to walk uphill from Sunset Boulevard to the Dolby Theatre.
—Jaden Thompson, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
The rest of the city’s water is pumped vast distances uphill from sources outside the city, in an incredibly inefficient process, during which around 40% of the water is lost through leaks.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024
The projects were designed to pump water uphill to reservoirs atop Black Mesa during periods of low electricity prices, enabling the generation of electricity and revenue from the return flows to reservoirs below the mesa when prices were higher.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2024
Enjoy the scenic views from the walk uphill and visit the historic bridge and tower.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Some still use burros to lug water from the well uphill to the village.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
But today there’s a big difference between a modern enduro bike designed to shave seconds off the clock and a well-rounded mountain rig that’s adept at descending but won’t wear you out on the uphill.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 6 Sep. 2021
The gradual uphill ascent to this point becomes a much steeper grade to bona fide pro.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2024
The adjustable, high-quality straps make transitioning from uphill to downhill modes effortless.
—Todd Plummer, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2022
An engine lets riders of varying abilities (me) keep up with partners who are much stronger on the uphills.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
This is a few blocks east and uphill from the Laurelwood Golf Course, in an area with Oregon white oaks, Oregon ash, snowberry, vine maple, other miscellaneous trees, as well as much undergrowth.
—oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2023
Compared with glaciers in a steady state, melting glaciers will provide more river water in the short term but less in the long term as glaciers retreat uphill and ice thins.
—Walter Immerzeel, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2021
Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Downhill cyclists must yield, with one foot on the ground, to uphill traffic.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The main draws were the uphill advantage on one side, and the two-kilometer visibility on the other.
—Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
At this point, though, both are waiver claims — Marcano from the Pirates, Patiño from the White Sox — facing uphill climbs.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
The Heat would prefer not to again face the uphill climb that the play-in tourney presents, but that possibility is again a reality for Miami.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
Boomers and Gen Xers already report difficulty in outliving their savings, and young adults are navigating the same uphill climb but without the safety of a pension or guarantee of social security still being around.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024
The 1,012-page legislation, which lumped six spending bills into one package, faced an uphill climb in the House after ultraconservatives revolted over the measure.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Dissolving the district would require a two-thirds majority of voters, an uphill climb given the recall.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Adverb
As public policy experts tell it, Bengaluru and the broader state of Karnataka have been too slow to plan for growth, too divided across agencies and too rigid in their reliance on pumping water uphill from reservoirs along the Kaveri River more than 50 miles away.
—Damien Cave Atul Loke, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Being able to go immediately uphill to a deep dribble handoff or pitch-and-hit, swinging quick screen behind the screen, behind the swing.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2024
Pico, the police spokesperson, said officers tried to evacuate homes farther uphill off Lahainaluna Road, going door to door along two streets.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2024
Some people abandoned their black-tie attire and high heels to walk uphill from Sunset Boulevard to the Dolby Theatre.
—Jaden Thompson, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
The rest of the city’s water is pumped vast distances uphill from sources outside the city, in an incredibly inefficient process, during which around 40% of the water is lost through leaks.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024
The projects were designed to pump water uphill to reservoirs atop Black Mesa during periods of low electricity prices, enabling the generation of electricity and revenue from the return flows to reservoirs below the mesa when prices were higher.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
It’s been radio silent, and I’m done pushing a rock uphill.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2024
Enjoy the scenic views from the walk uphill and visit the historic bridge and tower.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
But the project is proving to be an uphill (or upstream) battle.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Some still use burros to lug water from the well uphill to the village.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
But today there’s a big difference between a modern enduro bike designed to shave seconds off the clock and a well-rounded mountain rig that’s adept at descending but won’t wear you out on the uphill.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 6 Sep. 2021
The gradual uphill ascent to this point becomes a much steeper grade to bona fide pro.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2024
The adjustable, high-quality straps make transitioning from uphill to downhill modes effortless.
—Todd Plummer, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2022
An engine lets riders of varying abilities (me) keep up with partners who are much stronger on the uphills.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
This is a few blocks east and uphill from the Laurelwood Golf Course, in an area with Oregon white oaks, Oregon ash, snowberry, vine maple, other miscellaneous trees, as well as much undergrowth.
—oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2023
Compared with glaciers in a steady state, melting glaciers will provide more river water in the short term but less in the long term as glaciers retreat uphill and ice thins.
—Walter Immerzeel, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2021
Adjective
Climbing this uphill mountain often feels impossible.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Downhill cyclists must yield, with one foot on the ground, to uphill traffic.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The main draws were the uphill advantage on one side, and the two-kilometer visibility on the other.
—Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
At this point, though, both are waiver claims — Marcano from the Pirates, Patiño from the White Sox — facing uphill climbs.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
The Heat would prefer not to again face the uphill climb that the play-in tourney presents, but that possibility is again a reality for Miami.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
Boomers and Gen Xers already report difficulty in outliving their savings, and young adults are navigating the same uphill climb but without the safety of a pension or guarantee of social security still being around.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024
The 1,012-page legislation, which lumped six spending bills into one package, faced an uphill climb in the House after ultraconservatives revolted over the measure.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Dissolving the district would require a two-thirds majority of voters, an uphill climb given the recall.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uphill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near uphill
Cite this Entry
“Uphill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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