Meaning & use

descend

verb·Academic

To move or go downward from a higher place to a lower one.

See it in a sentence

The hikers slowly descended the steep, rocky trail before sunset.

The plane began to descend as it approached the runway.

A note on using this word

Also used for lineage, as in "descended from," meaning to be related to an ancestor.

Words with a similar meaning

go downdrop

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

ascendrise

Another way to use it

2. verb

To be related to someone as an ancestor through a line of family.

She is proud to be descended from one of the town's original settlers.

Make it your own

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