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 One community member told Fox News Digital that some congregations had even canceled afternoon prayers on the Sabbath as demonstrations across France descended into violence. — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Advertisement Within minutes, the festival grounds descended into chaos. — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026 Unrest descended into violence on the streets of cities across France over the weekend. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026 That was certainly true on Saturday night, when top-of-the-call-sheet names descended on the historic hotel for Giorgio Armani’s second annual Academy Museum Gala after-party. — Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 18 Oct. 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
  • In most cases where the acquirer is en route to paying a price amounting to a humongous PE, the acquirer’s stock falls.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Orionid meteor shower creates one of the most brilliant displays in the night sky each fall — but this year’s celestial event may have a dimmer showing due to a bright moon.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Netanyahu faces an international arrest warrant, experts have accused Israel of genocide, and Israel’s image has further deteriorated with a spike in settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
    — Josef Federman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Their return on investment becomes clear when conditions deteriorate and the organization is still able to operate, invest and make decisions on its own terms.
    — Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorate
Verb
  • Another Australian company, NextDC, plunged 40% on Wednesday after the company slashed its annual earnings forecast.
    — Ashley Capoot,Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer,Lora Kolodny,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • There had been a temporary improvement but the onset of the Iran war has plunged the country back into crisis.
    — Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of plunge
Verb
  • Buck has long since dismounted from his high horse, but people who live in glass houses that are also occupied by Mike Darnell should probably be a bit more judicious when hucking rocks.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Governing bodies in neighboring San Ramon, San Anselmo in Marin County, and Burlingame in San Mateo County have adopted similar policies requiring people to dismount e-bikes when traveling through public parks.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismount
Verb
  • Any normal mattress would’ve been an improvement over our current one, a sub-$300 queen-size nightmare of sloping sides and too-springy springs.
    — Jaklin Romine Oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The brush was flattened and rivulets of water ran back toward the sound, which was now miraculously some 100 yards away down a sloping bank.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of slope
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the institutions that once policed this behavior are crumbling, and the new ones emerging in their place seem like they’re engineered to reward it.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Nearly a third of its education budget is eaten up by pensions, so its poorer schools are crumbling.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of crumble
Verb
  • As for gas, it has usually been treated as a waste product to be burned off; because there are so few pipelines to bring it to market, West Texas gas prices have even dipped negative this year.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Uncover dough, dip your hand in water and stretch one side of dough up and over to meet opposite side; turn bowl 90°.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dip
Verb
  • After disembarking from the ninth car in the 10-car train — made up of R211 cars, the newest in the subway fleet — Boahene was dragged by the train’s rear carriage, according to the NTSB report.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Wasson is unambiguous about the state of mind in which the young Capra disembarked in the New World.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of disembark

Phrases Containing descend

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descend
descendant
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Cite this Entry

“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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