ascent

noun

as·​cent ə-ˈsent 

a-

1

a

: the act of rising or mounting upward : climb

completed their ascent of the mountain

b

: an upward slope or rising grade : acclivity

followed the steep ascent to the top of the hill

c

: the degree of elevation : inclination, gradient

2

: an advance in social status or reputation : progress

their ascent from the lower class to the middle class

3

: a going back in time or upward in order of genealogical succession

Synonyms of ascent

• climb
• ascension

Examples of ascent in a Sentence

They followed a steep ascent to the top of the hill.

our plane broke through some heavy low clouds during its ascent and leveled off once we were above them

Recent Examples on the Web

This morning, Sandler fell victim to the surprise of Delroy Lindo’s nomination and Elordi’s ascent. —Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026

During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026

Gold’s price seemed to pause its ascent into records as investors may have felt less urgency to own something seen as safe. —Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

Publicly believed for most of his life to have been born in 1948, Vega was actually 10 years older, coming of age during the ascent of Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent. —Alastair Shuttleworth, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

irregular from ascend

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ascent

• accent
• advent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event
• extent

Kids Definition

ascent

noun

as·​cent ə-ˈsent 

a-

1

: the act of rising or climbing up

began their ascent of the mountain

2

: an upward slope