descend

[ dih-send ]

/ dɪˈsɛnd /

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See synonyms for: descend / descended / descending on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to go or pass from a higher to a lower place; move or come down: to descend from the mountaintop.

to pass from higher to lower in any scale or series.

to go from generals to particulars, as in a discussion.

to slope, tend, or lead downward: The path descends to the pond.

to be inherited or transmitted, as through succeeding generations of a family: The title descends through eldest sons.

to have a specific person or family among one's ancestors (usually followed by from): He is descended from Cromwell.

to be derived from something remote in time, especially through continuous transmission: This festival descends from a druidic rite.

to approach or pounce upon, especially in a greedy or hasty manner (followed by on or upon): Thrill-seekers descended upon the scene of the crime.

to settle, as a cloud or vapor.

to appear or become manifest, as a supernatural being, state of mind, etc.: Jupiter descended to humankind.

to attack, especially with violence and suddenness (usually followed by on or upon): to descend upon enemy soldiers.

to sink or come down from a certain intellectual, moral, or social standard: He would never descend to baseness.

Astronomy. to move toward the horizon, as the sun or a star.

verb (used with object)

to move downward upon or along; go or climb down (stairs, a hill, etc.).

to extend or lead down along: The path descends the hill.

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Origin of descend

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English descenden, from Old French descendre, from Latin dēscendere, equivalent to dē-de- + -scendere, combining form of scandere “to climb”; cf. scansion

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

de·scend·ing·ly, adverbpre·de·scend, verbre·de·scend, verbun·de·scend·ing, adjective

Words nearby descend

descamisado, descant, Descartes, Descartes' law, Descartes, René, descend, descendant, descended, descendent, descender, descendeur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use descend in a sentence

Just because someone has descended into QAnon doesn’t mean they can’t come back from it.
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead.|Abby Ohlheiser|August 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Newspaper reporters spouted them 24 years ago this month when the media descended to cover the 1996 GOP National Convention, more than two decades after our first bid for a Republican confab went kablooey.
Politics Report: A Poll and a Court Ruling in Key Council Race|Scott Lewis|August 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego
It descends upside down, like a giant knife, above Cain and Abel.
The first murder|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
After “hopping” into the air, the vehicle skirted sideways a little before coming back to the ground, deploying six landing legs before successfully descending.
SpaceX flew a prototype of its Starship vehicle for the first time|Neel Patel|August 5, 2020|MIT Technology Review

If you could shrink small enough to descend the genetic helix of any animal, plant, fungus, bacterium or virus on Earth as though it were a spiral staircase, you would always find yourself turning right — never left.
Cosmic Rays May Explain Life’s Bias for Right-Handed DNA|Charlie Wood|June 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Earlier this month, Toledo, Ohio, watched its municipal water supply descend into an undrinkable stew of algal toxins.
Are Water Filters B.S.?|Michael Schulson|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even before she could descend to tell her story, rumors were spreading to discredit her.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling|Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just one more note of caution before we descend down the rapids of morality and ethics.
Never Forget? The CIA Report and the Problem With Hindsight|Philip Mudd|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thousands of bands descend on Austin, Texas, for the South By Southwest music festival.
Craziest SXSW Band Names: Perfect Pussy, Death By Unga Bunga, and More|Marlow Stern|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So they had to make me this waterproof renaissance gown and I would have to descend into the hot tub for rehearsal.
Michaela Watkins: Fired From ‘SNL’ To Hollywood’s Funniest Scene-Stealer|Kevin Fallon|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As he was about to descend the tree to feed upon his victim, his wicked eyes saw the hunters for the first time.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Laidlaw said nothing, but sprang to the head of the ladder, got carefully upon it, and began steadily to descend with Susy.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
This contempt for the masses they cherish until they have to descend from Parnassus and enter the public service.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
When about to descend himself, his brother cuts the cord and leaves him a prisoner on the mountain.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
Courage, my child,” he says; “see, we have gone a great distance; to-morrow before sundown we shall descend in Belgium.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith

British Dictionary definitions for descend

descend

/ (dɪˈsɛnd) /

verb (mainly intr)

(also tr) to move, pass, or go down (a hill, slope, staircase, etc)

(of a hill, slope, or path) to lead or extend down; slope; incline

to move to a lower level, pitch, etc; fall

(often foll by from) to be connected by a blood relationship (to a dead or extinct individual, race, species, etc)

to be passed on by parents or ancestors; be inherited

to sink or come down in morals or behaviour; lower oneself

(often foll by on or upon) to arrive or attack in a sudden or overwhelming waytheir relatives descended upon them last week

(of the sun, moon, etc) to move towards the horizon

Derived forms of descend

descendable, adjective

Word Origin for descend

C13: from Old French descendre, from Latin dēscendere, from de- + scandere to climb; see scan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

descend

Origin of descend

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

Words nearby descend

Words related to descend

How to use descend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for descend

Derived forms of descend

Word Origin for descend