1
as in to fall
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
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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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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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as in to assault
to take sudden, violent action against
the shock troops descended on the village without warning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descend
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2025
The room then descended into an Alien: Earth invasion with a creature appearing on stage.
—Peter White, Deadline, 13 May 2025
Climbing up the pipes of a utility shaft, the inmates disassembled the ventilation covers, descended the roof on a chimney pipe and scaled a fence.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 12 May 2025
At night, when Coughlin and his colleagues were home, LAPD gang squads descended on the Nick or Jordan Downs and cracked skulls for small infractions.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
Verb
The responders learned that a party of four climbers from Renton, which is a suburb of Seattle, were involved in a fall while descending a steep gully, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2025
The room then descended into an Alien: Earth invasion with a creature appearing on stage.
—Peter White, Deadline, 13 May 2025
Climbing up the pipes of a utility shaft, the inmates disassembled the ventilation covers, descended the roof on a chimney pipe and scaled a fence.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 12 May 2025
At night, when Coughlin and his colleagues were home, LAPD gang squads descended on the Nick or Jordan Downs and cracked skulls for small infractions.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
Cite this Entry
“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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