ascend

as·cend

verb \ə-ˈsend\

Definition of ASCEND

intransitive verb

1

a : to move upward <the balloon ascended>

b : to slope upward

2

a : to rise from a lower level or degree <ascend to power>

b : to go back in time or in order of genealogical succession

transitive verb

1

: to go or move up <ascend a staircase>

2

: to succeed to : occupy <ascend the throne>

— as·cend·able or as·cend·ible \-ˈsen-də-bəl\ adjective

Examples of ASCEND

1. They watched their balloons slowly ascend into the sky.
2. Divers must not ascend too rapidly to the water's surface.
3. She believed that when she died, her soul would ascend to heaven.
4. Several paths ascend to the top of the mountain.
5. stairs ascending to the attic
6. John Adams ascended to the presidency in 1797.
7. She worked as a clerk before ascending to her current position.

Origin of ASCEND

Middle English, from Latin ascendere, from ad- + scandere to climb — more at scan

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ASCEND

Synonyms

arise, aspire, climb, lift, mount, rise, soar, thrust, up, uprise, upthrust, upturn

Antonyms

decline, descend, dip, drop, fall (off), plunge

Related Words

surge, tower; boost, elevate, raise, upheave, uplift, upraise; balloon, blast off, take off, zoom; crest, scale, surmount, top; cant, incline, lean, list, recline, slant, slope, tilt, tip

Near Antonyms

dive, nose-dive, plummet, sink, slide

Rhymes with ASCEND

addend, amend, append, attend, bartend, befriend, Big Bend, bookend, boyfriend, closed-end, commend, compend, contend, dead end, dead-end, defend, depend, descend, distend, downtrend, emend, expend, extend, fag end, forfend, front-end, girlfriend, Gravesend, headend, high-end, hornblende, impend, intend, Land's End, loose end, low-end, missend, misspend, next friend, no end, offend, on end, Ostend, outspend, perpend, pitchblende, portend, pretend, propend, protend, rear-end, resend, sheet bend, South Bend, split end, stipend, subtend, suspend, tag end, tail end, tight end, top-end, transcend, unbend, unkenned, upend, uptrend, weekend, year-end

as·cend

intransitive verb \ə-ˈsend\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of ASCEND

: to move upward: as a : to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain <nerve fibers that ascend to a nucleus of the brain> <ascending and descending tracts> b : to affect the extremities and especially the lower limbs first and then the central nervous system <ascending paralysis>