descended; descending; descends
1
: to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one
descended from the platform
2
: to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive
descends from the general to the specific
3
a
: to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source : derive
descends from an old merchant family
b
: to pass by inheritance
a desk that has descended in the family
c
: to pass by transmission
songs descended from old ballads
4
a
: to incline, lead, or extend downward
the road descends to the river
b
physiology
: to conduct nerve impulses away from the brain
… lesions that interrupt the descending pathways from the cortex or brain stem produce weakness in voluntary movements …—
Claude Ghez and John Krakauer
Claude Ghez and John Krakauer5
a
: to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack)
a hawk descending upon its prey
b
: to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above
reporters descended on the candidate
6
: to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent
Their scores were listed in descending order.
7
a
: to lower oneself in status or dignity : stoop
b
: to worsen and sink in condition or estimation
He descended into a deep depression.
descended to poverty
descend into chaos
c
: to pass from higher to lower musical notes
The harmony descends chromatically.
1
: to pass, move, or climb down or down along
descending the staircase
2
: to extend down along
a narrow scar descended her arm
Examples of descend in a Sentence
Wait for the elevator to descend.
The workers descended into the hole.
A herd of goats descended into the valley.
The airplane will descend to a lower altitude soon.
Descending the mountain was even more dangerous than climbing it.
The children descended the staircase silently.
The path descends to the river.
The stairs descended into the tunnel.
Recent Examples on the Web
Depending on the depth, their skeletons can take up to fifty years to descend—a gentle rain continuously falling in all the world’s oceans since at least the Middle Cambrian era, over 500 million years ago.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The stakes just keep getting higher in this Grand Guignol of bloodthirsty excess, as bereaved government agent Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) descends into shocking depravity in his pursuit of serial killer Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik).
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Federal agents descended on the north side of the city over the weekend as part of the operation.
—Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Without conceding much, Washington could stop cross-strait antagonisms from descending further and create room for a better trajectory to emerge.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
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Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
The stakes just keep getting higher in this Grand Guignol of bloodthirsty excess, as bereaved government agent Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) descends into shocking depravity in his pursuit of serial killer Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik).
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Federal agents descended on the north side of the city over the weekend as part of the operation.
—Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Without conceding much, Washington could stop cross-strait antagonisms from descending further and create room for a better trajectory to emerge.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend
Cite this Entry
“Descend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descend. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
descend
verb
de·scend
di-ˈsend 
1
: to pass from a higher to a lower place or level
2
a
: to originate or come down from a source : derive
descended from an ancient family
b
: to be handed down to an heir or from an earlier time
the mansion descended to a son
a custom descended from ancient times
3
a
: to incline, lead, or extend downward
the road descends to the river
b
: to pass, move, or climb down or down along
4
: to make a sudden attack by or as if by swooping down
5
: to sink in status, dignity, or condition
Medical Definition
descend
intransitive verb
de·scend
di-ˈsend
: to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one
normally the testicle descends into the scrotum between the seventh and ninth month in utero—Therapeutic Notes
Therapeutic NotesLegal Definition
descend
intransitive verb
de·scend
di-ˈsend
: to pass by inheritance
descendibility
noun
-ˌsen-də-ˈbi-lə-tē
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