ascend
Americanverb (used without object)
-
ascends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ascended,
past participle, past
-
ascending
present participle
-
to move, climb, or go upward; mount; rise.
The airplane ascended into the clouds.
- Synonyms:
- soar
- Antonyms:
- descend
-
to slant upward.
-
to rise to a higher point, rank, or degree; proceed from an inferior to a superior degree or level.
to ascend to the presidency.
-
to go toward the source or beginning; go back in time.
-
Music. to rise in pitch; pass from any tone to a higher one.
verb (used with object)
-
ascends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ascended,
past participle, past
-
ascending
present participle
-
to go or move upward upon or along; climb; mount.
to ascend a lookout tower;
to ascend stairs.
- Antonyms:
- descend
-
to gain or succeed to; acquire.
to ascend the throne.
verb
-
to go or move up (a ladder, hill, slope, etc); mount; climb
-
(intr) to slope or incline upwards
-
(intr) to rise to a higher point, level, degree, etc
-
to follow (a river) upstream towards its source
-
to trace (a genealogy, etc) back in time
-
to sing or play (a scale, arpeggio, etc) from the lower to higher notes
-
to become king or queen
Synonym Usage
See climb.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ascendsimple
-
ascendssimple
-
have ascendedperfect
-
has ascendedperfect
-
am ascendingprogressive
-
are ascendingprogressive
-
is ascendingprogressive
-
have been ascendingperfect progressive
-
has been ascendingperfect progressive
Past
-
ascendedsimple
-
had ascendedperfect
-
was ascendingprogressive
-
were ascendingprogressive
-
had been ascendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ascend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ascenden, from Anglo-French ascendre, from Latin ascendere “to climb up,” from a- a- 5 + -scendere, combining form of scandere “to climb”
Explanation
To ascend is to move or travel upwards. You can do this literally, like when you ascend to 35,000 feet after your plane takes off, or figuratively, like when you win the lottery and ascend to a higher social class. Riding the escalators in the department store is one way to amuse yourself while your parents shop. You can ascend all the way to the 8th floor, and then descend back to the ground floor. Both ascend and descend come from the Latin verb scandere, which means "to climb." It's the prefixes that make all the difference. The a- of ascend makes the word mean "climb up," while the de- of its antonym makes descend mean "climb down."
Vocabulary lists containing ascend
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Six
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
While he has managed to ascend to the Labour leadership and the cusp of No 10 without revealing his wider policy plans, there is a fairly recent text already out there.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Speaking to the BBC, McCartney said visitors will ascend the Savile Row building and see "various things" including memorabilia before they can "pretend to be a Beatle" on the roof.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
But without the scene there would be nowhere for Mary to ascend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Participants also reported how many flights of stairs they climbed daily, based on the estimate that each flight takes 8 seconds to ascend.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026
I would go to Alaska, ski inland from the sea across thirty miles of glacial ice, and ascend this mighty nordwand.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
As the first plane in their journey ascends, Travolta’s distinct voice no longer feels like he’s narrating for a character.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
As the rover ascends, the landscape increasingly shows signs that water gradually disappeared over time, although occasional wetter periods allowed rivers and lakes to return.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2026
Only days remain until Zohran Mamdani ascends the throne of New York City, and nearly all his great opponents have given up.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
On Highland Avenue, the base of the block is mostly intact but as the street ascends toward the foothills, homes disappear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
He ascends away from the Ministry of Magic.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
Al-Aqsa is mentioned in the Quran, and it is from where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Even as he ascended to Goldman’s C-suite, Blankfein said he styled himself conservatively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Grainge’s son Elliot ascended through the record industry with his 10k Projects label, and now heads UMG’s competitor Atlantic Records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Even when he ascended to the White House, he deployed the expression liberally, often aiming it at his staff and Cabinet members.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
Oliver waited for the rope to steady, then ascended the rope Navy SEAL-style by locking it between his feet and squatting and stepping all the way up to the top.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Additionally, the chart is showing a bullish technical pattern known as an ascending triangle.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
A mantle plume ascending from deep within the mantle whose constituent material differs chemically from the surrounding mantle and may include components derived from ancient oceanic crust.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
The woman had been part of a group of three novice climbers who were ascending a steep, high-altitude route up Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Additionally, "Royal accounts show sovereign paid £30m in tax since ascending to throne" in 2022, the paper reports.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
But Lopsang ignored the command, untied from Cotter, and continued ascending to the summit alone.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
