verb

descend

dih-SEHND

verb

To move from a higher place to a lower one; to go down.

"They descended the mountain as the storm approached."

"The plane began to descend as it neared the airport."

To be traced back to, or come from, an earlier generation or source.

"Many modern languages descend from Latin."

To become worse or fall into a lower, more negative state.

"The debate quickly descended into shouting."

How to Use Descend

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo go downward, or to trace one's origins back to an ancestor or earlier source.

Common pairings

descend the stairs descend into chaos descend from

Word Forms

descended past tense, descend plural, descended plural, descends plural, descends singular, descend singular, descended singular, descendest singular, descendedst singular, descendeth singular

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They _____ the mountain as the storm approached.

Etymology

From Old French descendre, from Latin descendere, "to climb down," from de- + scandere, "to climb."

Rhymes for descend

condescend

See all rhymes for descend →