Descend: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when talking about moving from a higher place to a lower one in a controlled manner, often used in formal contexts.

• The hikers began to descend the mountain carefully.
• The airplane started to descend as it approached the airport.

Use when talking about movement to a lower place or position, typically in a less formal way. It can also refer to decreases in statistical data, prices, or levels.

• The elevator will go down to the basement level.
• Gas prices have started to go down recently.

Use when talking about moving downwards, often unintentionally. It often conveys a negative or uncontrolled action.

• He slipped on the ice and fell.
• The autumn leaves begin to fall from the trees.

Use when something falls suddenly and quickly, often by accident. It can also imply a rapid decrease in level or value.

• She accidentally dropped her phone, and it shattered.
• There was a sudden drop in temperature last night.

Used to describe a controlled, usually gradual, movement downward, often in a literal or physical sense.

• The airplane began to descend as it approached the runway.
• Darkness descended upon the village as the sun set.

Indicates a sudden, steep, and often uncontrolled decrease or fall, usually with a sense of danger or urgency.

• The car went out of control and plunged off the cliff.
• Stocks plunged dramatically following the economic report.

Refers to a slight or temporary drop, often in numerical terms or physical levels. The change is usually not severe.

• There was a dip in temperatures last night.
• The stock market experienced a quick dip after the announcement.

Typically used for a gradual decrease or reduction in value, quality, or quantity, often in a negative or unfavorable sense.

• The company's profits have declined over the past year.
• His health has been in gradual decline since the illness.

Use when referring to movement from a higher place to a lower place or when talking about family lineage.

• The hikers began to descend the mountain as the sun set.
• She can trace her ancestors who descend from royalty.

Appropriate when talking about origins or sources, especially in more formal or academic contexts, such as the source of a word, idea, or substance.

• Many English words derive from Latin.
• The drug is derived from a rare plant.

Commonly used to describe a place of origin, be it geographical, cultural or familial.

• She comes from Italy.
• The recipe comes from my grandmother.

Useful when you want to highlight the historical or investigative process of discovering origins.

• The tradition can be traced back to ancient Greece.
• Doctors traced the outbreak back to a contaminated water supply.