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📉 A decline 🛝 A downward slope 🪨 A landslide
downslide

downslide

6.5
A sudden slide of earth or rocks down a slope
  • noun
  • /ˈdaʊnˌslaɪd/
translation icon : deslizamiento
  • After heavy rain, a downslide sent boulders across the highway, blocking traffic for hours.

Examples

  • The village was evacuated due to the risk of another downslide following the earthquake.

  • Engineers studied the area to prevent future downslides from damaging the road.

  • A sudden downslide occurred!

  • The heavy rain caused a downslide in the mountains.

  • After heavy rain, a downslide sent boulders across the highway, blocking traffic for hours.

  • The village was evacuated due to the risk of another downslide following the earthquake.

  • Engineers studied the area to prevent future downslides from damaging the road.

Synonyms

slide
vsdownslide
42 3.4

A large mass of earth, rock, or snow moving down a slope

is the sudden downward movement rather than a slow or gradual mass shift
landslide
vsdownslide
  • Specialized
23 3.3

A large mass of earth and rock that moves down a hill or cliff

is the same sudden movement described simply as a downward mass movement
rockslide
vsdownslide
3 3.5

A sudden fall of many rocks down a slope that can block roads

is the sudden movement that also covers earth and mixed debris not just fragments
rockfall
vsdownslide
1 4.6

A sudden fall of rocks from a cliff or steep slope

is the sudden movement that moves along the slope surface rather than dropping straight down
landslip
vsdownslide
  • UK
7.5

A mass of earth and rock that moves down a slope often suddenly

is the sudden movement but usually includes loose debris as well

Antonyms

uplift
  • Specialized
2 7.0

A rise of land to a higher level often forming mountains

How Big

avalanche
  • UK
34 4.9
landslide
  • Specialized
23 3.3
downslide
6.5
slide
42 3.4
slip
8 1.0

Surface Forms

downslide singular
downslides plural

Morphology

downslide = slide (transparent) = down + slide

A sudden downward movement of earth or debris is a literal instance of 'down' + 'slide' and is straightforward for learners to infer. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Downslide comes from down ('towards a lower place') and slide ('to move quickly over a surface'), and it works like the familiar word landslide as a picture of earth moving downhill. So a downslide is a sudden movement of earth, rocks, or debris sliding down a slope.