descend

verb

di-ˈsend How to pronounce descend (audio)
Definition of descendnext
1
as in to fall
to lead or extend downward the pathway descends to the river bank

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2
as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room

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3
as in to plunge
to go to a lower level especially abruptly leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend

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4
as in to dismount
to come down from something (as a vehicle) the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of descend DeFossey is now manager at a restaurant in the city which sees up to 2,000 fans descend for watchalongs of USMNT and Mexico games. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Around 1,000 attendees are expected to descend on Madison Square Garden over the next two days to celebrate the union of the music superstar and Super Bowl champion. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 Celebrities are descending upon London, England to attend the 2026 Wimbledon Tennis Championships. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 1 July 2026 When word spread that Swift attended Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's 2023 wedding on the New Jersey shore, hundreds of fans and photographers descended on the quiet beach community. — Bryan West, USA Today, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for descend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descend
  1. fall
  2. deteriorate
  3. plunge
  4. dismount
  5. slope
  6. crumble
  7. dip
  8. disembark
Verb
  • The woman fell about 1,500 vertical feet, from around 12,000 feet to about 11,500 feet.
    — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • The report will also provide insight into whether American workers’ paychecks are falling further behind inflation.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • They can also be used for de-aging characters, creating performances in different languages, or preserving the voice or likeness of an actor whose health is deteriorating, as was the case with CAA client Eric Dane.
    — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 6 July 2026
  • Though concrete is a durable surface, concrete driveway repair is needed when the surface deteriorates and develops cracks over the years.
    — Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Definition of deteriorate
Verb
  • Riyadh largely paused shipments from its Gulf export terminals of Ras Tanura and Juaymah on March 9 after tanker traffic through Hormuz plunged due to Iranian attacks.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 July 2026
  • Even as the communist country proposes reforms, the United States continues a pressure campaign, ramping up economic sanctions and maintaining an oil embargo that has plunged much of the island into darkness.
    — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of plunge
Verb
  • Suffering from a broken rib and sinus infection, Remco Evenepoel hands his bidon to a child on the roadside and dismounts his bike.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • Ukrainian drones monitor these areas for resupply movement by small trucks, ground robots, or dismounted troops.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Definition of dismount
Verb
  • If not replanting a shrub, fill the hole and level the ground, being sure to slope it away from structures for proper drainage.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
  • The sloping roofs achieve this in a way that benefits both residents in their apartments and visitors in the streets.
    — Bridget Borgobello July 04, New Atlas, 4 July 2026
Definition of slope
Verb
  • Jan Paul van Hecke of the Netherlands has been involved in two scraps already, the latest when he was hit while going for a header and crumbled, perhaps exaggerating a tad, after Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi challenged the header, as well.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • Survivors say that doors to the facility were locked and that migrants were left to die inside crumbling walls.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of crumble
Verb
  • Wall Street was mixed in light trading early Thursday as chip stocks fell further and oil prices dipped near their levels before the Iran war began.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
  • The number of Tarrant County kindergartners vaccinated against measles dipped slightly last school year, according to the latest data.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
Definition of dip
Verb
  • Oceanwide Expeditions, operator of the cruise ship MV Hondius, says at least 29 living passengers from 12 countries disembarked the ship and went home after the death of the first passenger on board (before officials knew of the outbreak).
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Lionel Messi disembarked from a private jet with his family at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on July 11, 2023, following a Caribbean vacation.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of disembark

Phrases Containing descend

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descants
descend
descendant
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Cite this Entry

“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on descend

Nglish: Translation of descend for Spanish Speakers

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