descend
Americanverb (used without object)
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to go or pass from a higher to a lower place; move or come down.
to descend from the mountaintop.
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to pass from higher to lower in any scale or series.
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to go from generals to particulars, as in a discussion.
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to slope, tend, or lead downward.
The path descends to the pond.
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to be inherited or transmitted, as through succeeding generations of a family.
The title descends through eldest sons.
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to have a specific person or family among one's ancestors (usually followed byfrom ).
He is descended from Cromwell.
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to be derived from something remote in time, especially through continuous transmission.
This festival descends from a druidic rite.
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to approach or pounce upon, especially in a greedy or hasty manner (followed by on orupon ).
Thrill-seekers descended upon the scene of the crime.
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to settle, as a cloud or vapor.
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to appear or become manifest, as a supernatural being, state of mind, etc..
Jupiter descended to humankind.
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to attack, especially with violence and suddenness (usually followed by on orupon ).
to descend upon enemy soldiers.
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to sink or come down from a certain intellectual, moral, or social standard.
He would never descend to baseness.
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Astronomy. to move toward the horizon, as the sun or a star.
verb (used with object)
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to move downward upon or along; go or climb down (stairs, a hill, etc.).
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to extend or lead down along.
The path descends the hill.
verb
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(also tr) to move, pass, or go down (a hill, slope, staircase, etc)
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(of a hill, slope, or path) to lead or extend down; slope; incline
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to move to a lower level, pitch, etc; fall
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(often foll by from) to be connected by a blood relationship (to a dead or extinct individual, race, species, etc)
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to be passed on by parents or ancestors; be inherited
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to sink or come down in morals or behaviour; lower oneself
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to arrive or attack in a sudden or overwhelming way
their relatives descended upon them last week
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(of the sun, moon, etc) to move towards the horizon
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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descendsimple
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descendssimple
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have descendedperfect
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has descendedperfect
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am descendingprogressive
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are descendingprogressive
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is descendingprogressive
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have been descendingperfect progressive
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has been descendingperfect progressive
Past
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descendedsimple
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had descendedperfect
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was descendingprogressive
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were descendingprogressive
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had been descendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
In its simplest sense, descend means to go or move downward, but there are a couple of subtle variations on this theme. Yes, a bird can descend from the sky, but also, humans are descended from prehistoric ancestors. If you've ever heard a pilot say "prepare for our descent", then you know that only one letter separates the noun descent from the verb descend. They both derive from the same Latin components de, meaning "down," and scandere, "to climb." Similarly, if someone condescends to you, they are said, derogatorily, to be coming down to your level. All Americans are descended from peoples from other continents, such as Europe, Africa, and Asia. We've all "come down" from our ancestors.
Vocabulary lists containing descend
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Word Generation Social Studies - Ancient Civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome
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How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
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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:
The research found that tiny sinking particles known as marine snow release dissolved carbon and nitrogen as they descend into the deep sea.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Vloklinec doesn't have adequate access roads, parking areas or public toilets needed to cater for the crowds that descend on it.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
From the Eighth Avenue entrance, passengers will descend sweeping staircases into a parabolic main hall whose soft curve contrasts with the structure’s overall solidity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Astronauts are expected to descend to the Moon's south polar region and remain on the surface for around a week.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
She did not need the Red Sea to part, or for ten plagues to descend upon them.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
"For the work that I can do, I can engage with people in serious debate, detailed debate, respectful debate, without being on a platform that constantly descends to racism and misogyny."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
After dark, it descends more than 50 centimeters and creates an anchor point on a leaf, branch, or the forest floor.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Thankfully, the class of 2029 passes by and descends on their true target: a 21-foot slab of granite and grease.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
A blood-red tree descends, its skeletal branches and ropy roots suggesting veins and arteries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
As the damp night descends, I consider how I disobeyed and deceived my father.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Growing up in Brown County, Ohio, Karley Baurichter learned to appreciate the land her family descended from.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
"Say hello to the big ball!" announced Rowsell as a giant mirrorball descended to the stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Police blowing whistles soon descended on the holdouts, forcing them out of the area.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Days before the funeral, shops in Tehran closed down and shopping center parking lots filled up, as crowds descended on the capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
“We must consult as to what is to be done,” he said as we descended the stairs.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
A dissection is when a tear occurs in the aorta’s inner lining, either in the ascending aorta or the descending one.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Some climbing, some descending, a little chill time on flat roads on the valleys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Their theory was that the descending column of water acted somewhat like a syringe, pushing air through the shaft as it fell.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Hundreds of humanitarian responders from at least 16 countries were descending on the quake-stricken nation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
I look around for smoke and flames, but instead of a fire, I see a grinning fireman descending from the truck carrying a big wrench and an even bigger radio.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
