ascending
Americanadjective
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moving upward; rising.
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Botany. growing or directed upward, especially obliquely or in a curve from the base.
adjective
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moving upwards; rising
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botany sloping or curving upwards
the ascending stem of a vine
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ascending
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at ascend, -ing 2
Explanation
If something is ascending, it's rising or moving up. At a hot air balloon race, you'll see dozens of ascending balloons. An ascending road appears to rise in front of you as it curves up over a hill, and an ascending bird flies up into the sky. To ascend is to rise, and the adjective ascending describes a rising or growing thing. You can also use it figuratively: "She's an ascending queen, rising to the throne after the death of her father." In Latin, ascendere, "to climb up," and also "to rise" or "to reach."
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.
Andy Grove worked at Intel for almost 20 years before ascending to CEO in 1987, becoming one of our greatest immigrant success stories along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
Note the back-to-back doji candles on March 16-17 that started the pivot in a bullish ascending triangle pattern, which was broken out at $75,000 on April 14.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
“The ServiceNow terminal value is actually ascending as evidenced by the RPO,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
However, the 2013 US Open champion admits ascending to the top of a bunched leaderboard is a more daunting prospect than trying to catch one player.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Except for a handful of doctors, government officials, and family friends who would enter the Petersen house, that glimpse of the president ascending the stairs was the last time Americans saw Abraham Lincoln alive.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
