ascend

American  

[uh-send] / əˈsɛnd /

verb (used without object)

1. to move, climb, or go upward; mount; rise.

   The airplane ascended into the clouds.

   Synonyms:

   soar

   Antonyms:

   descend

2. to slant upward.

3. to rise to a higher point, rank, or degree; proceed from an inferior to a superior degree or level.

   to ascend to the presidency.

4. to go toward the source or beginning; go back in time.

5. Music. to rise in pitch; pass from any tone to a higher one.

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verb (used with object)

1. to go or move upward upon or along; climb; mount.

   to ascend a lookout tower;

   to ascend stairs.

   Antonyms:

   descend

2. to gain or succeed to; acquire.

   to ascend the throne.

ascend British  

/ əˈsɛnd /

verb

1. to go or move up (a ladder, hill, slope, etc); mount; climb

2. (intr) to slope or incline upwards

3. (intr) to rise to a higher point, level, degree, etc

4. to follow (a river) upstream towards its source

5. to trace (a genealogy, etc) back in time

6. to sing or play (a scale, arpeggio, etc) from the lower to higher notes

7. to become king or queen

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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”

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."

Example Sentences

The generals loosened their grip for a decade-long democratic experiment beginning in 2011, allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to ascend as civilian leader and steer a period of reform as the nation opened up.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

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 • Feb. 18, 2026

The widespread caution in hiring now is frustrating job seekers and leading many employees within organizations to feel stuck in place, unable to ascend or take on new roles, workers and bosses say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

A recent YouGov poll asked, “If the Rapture were to occur tonight, do you think you would be more likely to ascend to heaven or to be left behind?”

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2025

After the untimely death of Jongilizwe in the 1920s, his son Sabata, the infant of the Great Wife, was too young to ascend to the throne.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• climb
• escalate
• move up
• soar
• take off