descend

verb

de·​scend di-ˈsend 

dē-

descended; descending; descends

intransitive verb

1

: to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one

descended from the platform

2

: to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive

descends from the general to the specific

3

a

: to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source : derive

descends from an old merchant family

b

: to pass by inheritance

a desk that has descended in the family

c

: to pass by transmission

songs descended from old ballads

4

a

: to incline, lead, or extend downward

the road descends to the river

b

physiology : to conduct nerve impulses away from the brain

… lesions that interrupt the descending pathways from the cortex or brain stem produce weakness in voluntary movements …

—Claude Ghez and John Krakauer

5

a

: to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack)

a hawk descending upon its prey

b

: to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above

reporters descended on the candidate

6

: to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent

Their scores were listed in descending order.

7

a

: to lower oneself in status or dignity : stoop

b

: to worsen and sink in condition or estimation

He descended into a deep depression.

descended to poverty

descend into chaos

c

: to pass from higher to lower musical notes

The harmony descends chromatically.

transitive verb

1

: to pass, move, or climb down or down along

descending the staircase

2

: to extend down along

a narrow scar descended her arm

descendible

di-ˈsen-də-bəl 

dē-

adjective

Synonyms

• decline
• dip
• drop
• fall
• plunge
• sink

Example Sentences

Wait for the elevator to descend.

The workers descended into the hole.

A herd of goats descended into the valley.

The airplane will descend to a lower altitude soon.

Descending the mountain was even more dangerous than climbing it.

The children descended the staircase silently.

The path descends to the river.

The stairs descended into the tunnel.

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Recent Examples on the Web

That would be nowhere near the more than 130,000 that descend on downtown for San Diego Comic-Con every year, but that’s not to say the upstart doesn’t have momentum. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2023

Or Sierra snow may melt quickly and descend in torrents so fast it can’t be captured in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. —Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023

Huezo captures another sort of communal vigil, another act of caretaking, when the village men descend on the night forest, watching for the timber poachers who have been cutting down and stealing trees by the truckload. —Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2023

Spring can bring a crowd in March, when spring breakers (of the family variety) descend on the shores and city. —Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023

Caldera House Consider an escape to the desert oasis of Palm Springs before the hordes of influencers descend for Coachella in April. —Leena Kim, Town & Country, 6 Jan. 2023

Some critics, such as Paul Goldberger at the New York Times, took issue with Mr. Isozaki’s design of having visitors descend stairs to approach the galleries. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2022

Hosts in the know have the drinks ready to pour before the revelers descend. —WSJ, 15 Dec. 2022

Excavated for more than 30 years, its huge craters and twisted paths down which the trucks descend give the impression of a tropical hell. —Pablo Correa, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French descendre, from Latin descendere, from de- + scandere to climb — more at scan

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3b

Phrases Containing descend

• descend from
• descend/sink/stoop to someone's level
• descend to

• descend from
• descend/sink/stoop to someone's level
• descend to

Kids Definition

descend

verb

de·​scend di-ˈsend 

1

: to pass from a higher to a lower place or level

2

a

: to originate or come down from a source : derive

descended from an ancient family

b

: to be handed down to an heir or from an earlier time

the mansion descended to a son

a custom descended from ancient times

3

a

: to incline, lead, or extend downward

the road descends to the river

b

: to pass, move, or climb down or down along

4

: to make a sudden attack by or as if by swooping down

5

: to sink in status, dignity, or condition

Medical Definition

descend

intransitive verb

de·​scend di-ˈsend 

: to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one

normally the testicle descends into the scrotum between the seventh and ninth month in utero

—Therapeutic Notes

Legal Definition

descend

intransitive verb

de·​scend di-ˈsend 

: to pass by inheritance

descendibility

-ˌsen-də-ˈbi-lə-tē

noun

descendible

-ˈsen-də-bəl 

adjective