ascend

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verb as·cend \ ə-ˈsend \

Definition of ascend

intransitive verb

1 a :to move upward

the balloon ascended

b :to slope upward

The path ascends through the woods.

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

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ascendable

or ascendible play \-ˈsen-də-bəl\ adjective

See ascend defined for English-language learners

See ascend defined for kids

Examples of ascend in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of ascend from the Web

As throngs of officers ascended outside the bar, billy clubs in hand, Scott grabbed a bottle.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "'Detroit:' The Real Story Behind One Of The Most Horrific Police Brutality Events In History," 3 Aug. 2017
Major U.S. equity benchmarks ascended to fresh all-time highs on Tuesday on the back of rising optimism in the economy and encouraging earnings growth from major corporate bellwethers.

— luke kawa, Bloomberg.com, "JPMorgan Tells Clients the Surge in Stocks Is Prolonging the Bull Market in Bonds," 25 July 2017
As Trump's children ascended within the campaign, experienced political hands were marginalized, according to another former Trump campaign aide.

— abby phillip, chicagotribune.com, "'Manafort should have stopped this': Inside the campaign when Trump Jr. met with Russian," 12 July 2017
Wearing their full Heat uniforms, Wade, James and Bosh ascended the stage in a rising platform amid smoke, flames and fireworks.

— michael wallace, miamiherald, "The formation of the super team was a dream come true for Miami," 4 July 2017
The competitors’ opening challenge was to run through 12 miles of snow and mud, residual from heavy winter snowfalls, as the course ascended 2,300 feet to the 8,500-foot level.

— The Aegis, "Six year wait leads to finish of lifetime for Ron Green," 29 June 2017
Jimmy Butler hadn’t ascended into the upper ranks of NBA stars quite yet.

— adi joseph, For The Win, "NBA Draft 2017: LaVar Ball leads our look at high- and low-key winners and losers," 23 June 2017
Knappenberger sets the scene in the tense climate of 2016, when Donald Trump was ascending in the polls while raging at the supposedly crooked media.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Did Hulk Hogan Neuter the First Amendment?," 22 June 2017
Private homosexual acts between men over the age of 21 were not decriminalized in England and Wales until 1967, 15 years after Elizabeth ascended to the throne.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Queen Elizabeth II Pledges to Protect the LGBT Community," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ascend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ascend

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ascend Synonyms

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

ASCEND Defined for English Language Learners

ascend

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verb

Definition of ascend for English Language Learners

: to go up : to rise or move toward the sky
: to slope or lead upward
: to rise to a higher or more powerful position in a government, company, etc.

ASCEND Defined for Kids

ascend

play

verb as·cend \ ə-ˈsend \

Definition of ascend for Students

ascended; ascending

1 :to go or move up

We ascended the hill.

2 :to rise to a higher or more powerful position

Abraham Lincoln ascended to the presidency in 1861.

Word Root of ascend

The Latin word scandere, meaning “to climb,” gives us the root scend. Words from the Latin scandere have something to do with climbing. To ascend is to climb upward. To descend is to climb downward. To transcend is to rise above or climb over something's limits.