ascend
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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)
-
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
Related Words
See climb.
Other Word Forms
- ascendable adjective
- ascendible adjective
- reascend verb
- unascendable adjective
- unascended adjective
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”
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.
After a top-flight career as a session musician, Preston’s star ascends ever higher after his January 1969 collaboration with The Beatles.
From Salon
The hero goes to his death at the point of self-realization that only in sacrifice may he ascend to and become a symbol for glory.
From Los Angeles Times
John Furner, who ascended to CEO on February 1, praised the results as evidence of Walmart's resonance with consumers across income levels.
From Barron's
Like his lead character, Ford himself had to ascend in clout to direct this script, which he launched on the Black List in 2014.
From Los Angeles Times
Officials with the same rank are sorted by how their names are written—starting with the number of strokes in their surname, in ascending order.
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.
