uphill battle

noun

: a very difficult struggle
Starting her own business has proven to be an uphill battle.

Examples of uphill battle in a Sentence

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.
Proponents may face an uphill battle persuading Newsom to sign the bill, which creates a unique revenue stream to pay for the program. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 The lack of help doesn’t take the onus off Stroud or absolve him of turning the ball over seven times in the playoffs last season, but he’s been fighting an uphill battle. — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 While the UConn Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams know the thrill of national championships, our football fans are more acquainted with the highs-and-lows of an upstart contender and an uphill battle. — U.s. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026 Matching the nine-win season of 2025 will be an uphill battle. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uphill battle

Rhymes for uphill battle

See All Rhymes for uphill battle

Browse Nearby Words

uphill
uphill battle
uphlstg
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uphill battle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uphill%20battle. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All