1
as in to fall
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descend
Today, rumors circulating on social media in the DRC include false claims that Ebola is not real, that humanitarian workers are descending on the area solely for their own profit and that aid groups are withholding the best care available.
—
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 May 2026
Rue descends into crime, working with Nazis, the feds, and a Black cowboy in a drug plot that stems from her adolescent foibles with monotone drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly).
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin descended on one of Claiborne’s playoff games in a helicopter.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 29 May 2026
One mother is paralyzed by grief After her husband and son were killed in separate strikes in April 2024, Majda descended into severe depression.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for descend
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 May 2026
Rue descends into crime, working with Nazis, the feds, and a Black cowboy in a drug plot that stems from her adolescent foibles with monotone drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly).
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin descended on one of Claiborne’s playoff games in a helicopter.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 29 May 2026
One mother is paralyzed by grief After her husband and son were killed in separate strikes in April 2024, Majda descended into severe depression.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for descend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descend
Verb
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Demuth led the field through four ballots, but after Lindell failed to advance to the fifth ballot, Qualls took the lead and the number of votes cast fell.—
Jimmy Lovrien,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
-
In a recent interview with The Times of London, Niall Horan opened up about the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne, who died in 2024 at the age of 31 after falling three floors from a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
30 May 2026
Verb
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As her health deteriorated, Amy's disciples were led to believe her death would herald a celestial exit, Heaven's Gate-style (via UFO), paving the way for society's salvation.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
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Even better, people taking the drug had about five more months before their quality of life deteriorated compared to those on chemotherapy.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Dollar General shares have fallen for three straight months and the stock is off 17% in 2025; National Vision plunged 29% in May.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
-
Days earlier, Hezbollah had fired a volley of rockets into Israel, plunging Lebanon into a regional war that its leaders were desperate to avoid.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Ukrainian drones monitor these areas for resupply movement by small trucks, ground robots, or dismounted troops.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
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Chiles, though, did rebound with a clean beam and dismount for a 9.9500 score to get the Bruins back in it.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eco effort The villas are mainly run on solar power (each villa’s roof is slightly sloped to accommodate these solar panels), and the resort is single plastic-free.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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And the white coral sand beach itself is stunning, gently sloping offshore—perfect for snorkeling when the ocean is calm.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Hyde has McCallany playing Detective Grimes, a haunted investigator descending into the decaying underbelly of a crumbling metropolis while hunting a brutal serial killer.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
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They were set in crumbling castles and moldering dungeons—that is, amid the rubble of a collapsing social order.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
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For North American observers on the evening of May 30, the Blue Moon rises in the east as the sun dips below the horizon, with Antares glowing roughly 3 degrees to the lower left of Earth's satellite — less than the width of your three middle fingers held at arm's length against the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
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Once the ride began, Ferrell pulled the nuggets out of his pants and even called for his camera man to give him some sauce to dip the nuggets into.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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On the video call, the passengers asked the officials whether other Americans who had been on the ship but disembarked before the outbreak was identified were facing the same monitoring requirements.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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When the men reached New York City’s Ellis Island, they weren’t permitted to disembark because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, according to the BBC and CBS.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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