DESCENDS Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

descends

verb

present tense third-person singular of descend

as in falls

to lead or extend downward the pathway descends to the river bank

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as in deteriorates

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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as in plunges

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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as in dismounts

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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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of descends Yet, as the WNBA descends upon Chicago for All-Star weekend, Engelbert is reaching an inflection point in her tenure. — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 24 July 2026 The complaints about regulations are one of the many cases where SNGA descends into political and cultural grievance. — ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026 This year witnesses a resurgence of sorts, as a fleet of both new and historic Js descends on the Mediterranean. — Chrissie McClatchie, Robb Report, 18 July 2026 The series, which has 57 parts, tells the story of two couples on a double date that descends into chaos after a mysterious figure hacks their personal devices and forces them to reveal their secrets to each other. — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 The poet begins to lose faith in his subject—why write about such a trivial matter as Europe descends into war? — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026 Cities from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic are warning people to stay safe and handing out masks as the dangerous smoke descends. — Dakota Smith, CNN Money, 17 July 2026 Just as a group of carefree New York City twentysomethings (including Mike Vogel and Lizzy Caplan) gathers to celebrate one of their friend’s impending move westward, a creature the size of the Empire State Building descends on the city. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 Finally comes the terminal phase, when the warhead re-enters the atmosphere and descends toward its target. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descends

Verb

This unique trend sees AI adoption rise while trust falls, fueling widespread demand for accountability and human oversight.

— Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
As several experts have told CNN, when a drug trafficking leader falls, there are always many others available to succeed him, so the criminal organization – at least for now – remains active.

— Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Definition of falls

Verb

As a result, the quality of life of those that work and live in these rural areas deteriorates.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
In Gosha’s case, that involves getting mixed up with gangsters at a seedy nightclub, a sequence that quickly deteriorates from being mildly comical to sinister to outright terrifying by even degrees.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026

Definition of deteriorates

Verb

Dexter grapples with killing her, but Rudy eventually can’t handle Dexter’s hesitance and takes the knife into his own hands—and nearly plunges it into Debra’s chest before Dexter stops him.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
In six parts, The American Revolution, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, plunges us into the momentous war that led to the nation’s founding.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 June 2026

Definition of plunges

Verb

The glowing ribbon of the Milky Way tumbles directly through this cosmic triangle before arcing towards the southern horizon, though its diffuse light will be hidden behind a veil of moonlight on the night of the full moon.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 July 2026
Then the wisdom tumbles like Milk Duds fresh from the concessionaire.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Definition of tumbles

Verb

For instance, multiple events can occur simultaneously or in succession, leading to compounding or cascading effects, such as drought that worsens wildfire risk.

— Deepti Singh, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
This innovation is vital due to a severe workforce shortage in engineering and inspection, which worsens the data gap.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026