1
as in to fall
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to plunge
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend
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4
as in to dismount
to come down from something (as a vehicle)
the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descend
The women go from shining and elegant during the musical sequence to glistening with sweat and blood as the night descends into hell.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
As Imperial forces descend on the planet where Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) is hiding out, she and her fellow Ferrix refugees are kept on their toes.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Federal employees at various agencies told ProPublica that an air of suspicion has descended on their workplace during Trump’s second term, with rumors flying of surveillance of rank-and-file government workers.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 23 Apr. 2025
Air enters through these grilles, descends vertically some 30 feet (10 meters) and then passes horizontally over four massive swimming pool size water baths, each with a maximum depth of 6.5 feet (two meters).
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
As Imperial forces descend on the planet where Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) is hiding out, she and her fellow Ferrix refugees are kept on their toes.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Federal employees at various agencies told ProPublica that an air of suspicion has descended on their workplace during Trump’s second term, with rumors flying of surveillance of rank-and-file government workers.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 23 Apr. 2025
Air enters through these grilles, descends vertically some 30 feet (10 meters) and then passes horizontally over four massive swimming pool size water baths, each with a maximum depth of 6.5 feet (two meters).
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descend
Verb
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Rising bond yields Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds typically fall – and their prices rise - as investors flee stocks for the safe haven of Treasuries during economic slowdowns.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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The basic premise of DeSantis’s primary candidacy—that Republicans wanted Trumpism without Trump—fell apart once the former president started hoovering up media attention and gained a wide lead in the polls.—
Drew Nelles,
Time,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That volume is masking deteriorating demand from key sectors - particularly domestic manufacturing, which drives more than 60% of big rig ton miles, and ocean imports.—
Lisa Baertlein,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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Armed violence fuels nutrition crisis for Haitian families Famine is looming in Haiti as violence between armed groups continues, alongside extreme poverty and a deteriorating economy.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Losses were seen in BYD Company which plunged 4.03%, Meituan which dropped 1.02%, Xpeng which fell 3.46% and Baidu which was down 0.29%. Elsewhere, gains were seen in Tencent which edged up 0.17%, Xiaomi which increased 0.73% , SenseTime which added 2.11% and JD.com which advanced 2.91%.—
Amala Balakrishner,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2025
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Divorce Is Often Deferred, Not Prevented When the economy plunges, so does the financial feasibility of divorce.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Fixed an issue where Yasuke could block with his teppo after being dismounted instead of his melee weapon.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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Microchip claims that the new design is optimal for aerospace and defense mission-critical applications such as mobile radar, dismounted radios, dismounted IED jamming systems, autonomous sensor networks, and unmanned vehicles due to its compact size, low power consumption, and high precision.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In the garden, children played fetch with the Ambassador’s herding dog, who scurried up and down the sloping grass, underneath cherry trees in full bloom.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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Mix course sand and organic material such as pine bark or leaf mold into the backfill soil and slope the soil up to the edges of the rootball.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The ongoing humanitarian crisis is worsened by widespread poverty, food insecurity, and a crumbling health care system, displacing over a million people from their homes in search of safety.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
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Here’s what students and educators across the state told us about the floods and leaks, overcrowding and inaccessibility, safety and outages, crumbling buildings and heating and cooling problems that impact every part of their day.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Disapproval of Trump's tariffs is widespread, and his overall approval rating has dipped.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Once the chocolate is frozen, break the sheet into crackers for dipping.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Passengers had just disembarked a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Jubilee when the fight broke out.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Nearly 30 people are banned from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line after getting into a fight while disembarking a cruise over the weekend.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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