1
as in dips
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude
the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorations
a change to a lower state or level
the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demises
a loss of status
for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in incursions
a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory
the lightning descent of the invading army on that unsuspecting border town
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the descent of the voracious locusts on the wheat fields
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in ancestries
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a person of Finnish descent
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7
as in downhills
a downward slope
on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descents
People have tried ski descents from Everest in the past, but none of them have completed the run without bottled oxygen.
—
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Grippy waterproof shoes and a good rain jacket are essential on this one for mud, streams, and steep, slippery descents.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 17 Sep. 2025
This three-day program moves on to teaching more advanced techniques, like left-foot braking, handling ascents and descents, and weight transfer.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Human sequences depicted various runs and also ascents, descents, lifts, throws, wrestling, dances, a child crawling, and a woman pouring a bucket of water over another woman.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 May 2019
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Grippy waterproof shoes and a good rain jacket are essential on this one for mud, streams, and steep, slippery descents.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 17 Sep. 2025
This three-day program moves on to teaching more advanced techniques, like left-foot braking, handling ascents and descents, and weight transfer.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Human sequences depicted various runs and also ascents, descents, lifts, throws, wrestling, dances, a child crawling, and a woman pouring a bucket of water over another woman.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 May 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descents
Noun
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Past patterns suggest that when a president’s approval dips below 50 percent, their party may face setbacks in congressional contests, especially in battleground areas where independents and moderates hold sway.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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And the Stars were less dominant in his five-on-five minutes, primarily due to defensive dips.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The mission, the fourth of 2025, would also be Starship's first flight since May 27 amid a year plagued by explosive demises for the vehicle.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
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But a good time in enviable vacation spots is guaranteed, with ghoulish demises for many principal figures here served up like caviar on sashimi.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen and Munich.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
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But the remarks follow Russian drone incursions into Poland as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace, forcing NATO to intercept them.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.—
Daniella Segura,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Kurt's key takeaway The fact that Chrome has already faced six zero-day attacks this year shows how relentless attackers are and how even the most popular software can have serious gaps.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Relief and health workers say these other methods of delivering food in Gaza, including the GHF sites and aid pallet drops from planes, are dehumanizing and inaccessible for many Palestinians, and expose them to injury or death.—
Soph Warnes,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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Among wide receivers with at least 60 routes run, Diggs ranks first in the NFL in receptions per target, nabbing 87 percent of the balls thrown his way without any drops.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For Parisian Jews in 1941 and 1942, these thefts were compounded by a cascade of other degradations, including the loss of distinguished positions at the Sorbonne, in banking, science, and medicine, with more devastation to come.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some of those mistakes eventually cause their downfalls.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
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The lack of effective clock management was one of the downfalls of the Bears’ last coach, Matt Eberflus.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descents. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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