descend verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of descend verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

descend

verb
 
 
/dɪˈsend/
 
/dɪˈsend/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they descend
 
/dɪˈsend/
 
/dɪˈsend/
he / she / it descends
 
/dɪˈsendz/
 
/dɪˈsendz/
past simple descended
 
/dɪˈsendɪd/
 
/dɪˈsendɪd/
past participle descended
 
/dɪˈsendɪd/
 
/dɪˈsendɪd/
-ing form descending
 
/dɪˈsendɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈsendɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1.  
    [intransitive, transitive] (formal) to come or go down from a higher to a lower level
    • The plane began to descend.
    • The results, ranked in descending order (= from the highest to the lowest) are as follows…
    • descend something She descended the stairs slowly.
    opposite ascend
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • quickly
    • rapidly
    • slowly
    • …
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] (formal) (of a hill, etc.) to slope downwards
    • At this point the path descends steeply.
    opposite ascend
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • steeply
    • gently
    • gradually
    • …
    preposition
    • into
    • to
    phrases
    • descend into chaos
    • descend into farce
    • descend into madness
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [intransitive] (literary) (of night, darkness, a mood, etc.) to arrive and begin to affect somebody/something synonym fall
    • Night descends quickly in the tropics.
    • descend on/upon somebody/something Calm descended on the crowd.
    4. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French descendre, from Latin descendere, from de- ‘down’ + scandere ‘to climb’.
See descend in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee descend in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: descend

Nearby words

buttercup
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Plants and trees
C2
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