descend from

phrasal verb

descended from; descending from; descends from
: to have (something or someone in the past) as an origin or source
Recent evidence supports the theory that birds descended from dinosaurs.
The plants descend from a common ancestor.
They claim to be descended from a noble British family.

Examples of descend from in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Katie Lee Biegel grew up in Milton, West Virginia, descended from a long line of women who really knew how to cook. Sid Evans, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025 The band is stationed on the second floor, and performers descend from there to the first floor. Connie Ogle july 17, Miami Herald, 17 July 2025 The animal is a combination of a raptor and pterosaur — the type of dinosaur pterodactyls descend from — and comes in at 16 feet long, 550 lbs. Skyler Trepel, People.com, 2 July 2025 The lemurs and tenrecs of Madagascar, for example, are descended from primates and insectivores that used to be much more widespread. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for descend from

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Descend from.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descend%20from. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!