DESCEND

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does descend mean? 

• DESCEND (verb)
  The verb DESCEND has 4 senses:

1. move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
2. come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example
3. do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
4. come as if by falling

  Familiarity information: DESCEND used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESCEND (verb)

Meaning:

Move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

go down; descend; come down; fall

Context examples:

The temperature is going down / The barometer is falling / The curtain fell on the diva / Her hand went up and then fell again

Hypernyms (to "descend" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "descend"):

prolapse (slip or fall out of place, as of body parts)

topple; tumble (fall down, as if collapsing)

drop (to fall vertically)

plop (drop with the sound of something falling into water)

pitch (fall or plunge forward)

alight; climb down (come down)

go down; go under; settle; sink (go under,)

pounce; swoop (move down on as if in an attack)

drip (fall in drops)

flop (fall suddenly and abruptly)

crash (fall or come down violently)

abseil; rappel; rope down (lower oneself with a double rope coiled around the body from a mountainside)

dismount; get down; get off; light; unhorse (get off (a horse))

avalanche; roll down (gather into a huge mass and roll down a mountain, of snow)

dive; plunge; plunk (drop steeply)

go down; go under; set (disappear beyond the horizon)

correct; decline; slump (go down in value)

precipitate (fall vertically, sharply, or headlong)

sink; subside (descend into or as if into some soft substance or place)

cascade; cascade down (rush down in big quantities, like a cascade)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence example:

The airplane is sure to descend

Antonym:

ascend (travel up,)

Meaning:

Come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

descend; derive; come

Context examples:

She was descended from an old Italian noble family / he comes from humble origins

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Meaning:

Do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

deign; condescend; descend

Hypernyms (to "descend" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Meaning:

Come as if by falling

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

descend; settle; fall

Context examples:

Night fell / Silence fell

Hypernyms (to "descend" is one way to...):

come (come to pass; arrive, as in due course)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s