Synonyms

descend

American

[dih-send] / dɪˈsɛnd /

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 byfrom ).

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 orupon ).

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 orupon ).

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.

descend British

/ dɪˈsɛnd /

verb

(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
to arrive or attack in a sudden or overwhelming way

their relatives descended upon them last week
(of the sun, moon, etc) to move towards the horizon

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing descend

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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:

descend descends descended descending

Now, while the town's year-round residents number fewer than 1,000, that number swells up to 80,000 each September as revellers descend upon Lisdoonvarna from around the world.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The roof is made of stairs that descend to ground level.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Indonesia was first to descend into chaos, as Sukarno and other parties fought over what sort of nation the huge archipelago would become.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“These deer have become beloved to many of the islanders, as well as the thousands of tourists who descend on Catalina Island every year,” she told The Times last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

This was the court of King Bull Sparra, whose wrath seemed about to descend upon him.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Each September, a who's who of executives from across Silicon Valley descends on San Francisco's Palace Hotel to charm investors at a conference hosted by the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

As firefighters in southwest France struggle to bring a forest inferno under control before yet another heatwave descends on the country, Filippi told AFP about the phenomenon.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Instead, it descends from the brain into the chest, loops around a major artery, then travels back up to the voice box.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The visitor descends a long gentle incline, passing a wall of polished black granite that records the names of the 58,000 American soldiers who died in that war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Sophia slowly descends, letting her little heels click against the floor.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Seibert’s cellphone data indicated he had likely descended using the same ascent route, but exactly what happened after remained a mystery and the first day of search concluded at dark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Footfall also takes a hit, he said, noting that a stormy season has once again descended and fearful customers are canceling their reservations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

She and her son are descended from a Dutch officer who served as governor in Berbice, Stephen Hendrik de la Sablonière, and his wife, Beata Louisa Schultz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

He expects there to be a similar level of excitement to Joe Calzaghe's fight against Mikkel Kessler in 2007, when more than 50,000 fans descended on what was then the Millennium Stadium.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

As the lightning faded into darkness, I descended the fire escape and continued on my way.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Min Aung Hlaing touched down at 0430 GMT at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, state media images showed, with the Myanmar leader descending the steps to a waiting car.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

About 7:55 p.m., data show the helicopter rapidly descending while turning right, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Below is a list of every club to whom Manchester City paid transfer fees between summer 2009 and winter 2018, in descending order from the most money to the least.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The stocks are listed in descending order of their current borrow cost.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

A woman descending the stairs sees me and stops midstep.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023