1
as in falls
to lead or extend downward
the pathway descends to the river bank
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
the order of the classroom descended into chaos when the teacher left the room
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in plunges
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
leaves slowly descended from the branches in the gentle autumn wind wait for the elevator to descend
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4
as in dismounts
to come down from something (as a vehicle)
the driver descended from the truck's cab, dreading to see what he had hit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descends
Carol is casually chatting with her manager and romantic partner, Helen (Miriam Shor), when the pathogen descends on everyone, creating a horrific scene of silent, seizing bodies.
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Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Regardless, this film also boasts a oner for the ages, as a raincoat mafia descends upon a rave and a pair of bloodthirsty lovers.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
In the film, a young girl (Linda Blair) becomes possessed by a demon and gradually descends into madness.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 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
In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to X, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it, triggering an explosion.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
As music and dance meld in celebration of artistry, culture and history, an evil descends, threatening to devour the fabric and heart of the community — and all that Smoke and Stack have worked to achieve.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
The chain is routed through the center of the buoy, passes over a gypsy wheel, and descends again, while excess chain hangs freely to accommodate movement.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
Slide Away then descends on Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on May 29 and 30 with Cryogeyser, Mint Field, Ovlov, Seko, and Terraplana rounding out the lineup.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descends
Verb
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So Nude pair falls neatly in line — proof that even in full-metal glamour, minimalism with an edge is having a very good year.—
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Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Man’s Best Friend slips 5-6 on the latest Billboard 200 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 8%), while Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving falls 6-7 (37,000, down 3%).—
Verb
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The Backyard cast also features Katie MacNichol as Gladys’ daughter Ellen, Alexander Ameen as Ellen’s husband Howard, and William Huffaker as a young painter from Boston named Don Bowman whom Gladys seeks to help even as her mental state deteriorates.—
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As the situation deteriorates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany among others have urged their nationals to leave Bamako.—
Verb
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The teaser plunges viewers into the world of two content creators from contrasting backgrounds who unite for a collaboration fueled by curiosity, social media clout and mutual attraction.—
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Their love scene in the rain, while obviously less visually spectacular than in the film, plunges headlong into romantic cliches that manage to get the job done despite their obviousness.—
Verb
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Academic success means little if a child crumbles under stress.—
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Toby’s display, overall, looks a lot nicer, but when Paul goes to take a slice of his cake from the chocolate case, the whole thing crumbles to a mess.—
Verb
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After some careful shaking, the rabbit finally tumbles out of the hose.—
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The glass tumbles day and night in the waves against the pebbles and sand.—
Verb
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In the climax, the yacht docks in Norway, and everyone disembarks.—
Verb
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Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
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As climate change worsens, more locations are going to become too hot for data centers.—
Verb
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The seven-mile Torreya Challenge Loop steadily climbs and dips, meandering over creeks, an old forest road, and blackberry brambles, following a ridge where mountain laurels bloom in the spring and visitors can find the steepest incline in the park.—
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When staffing dips, the pressure mounts.—
Cite this Entry
“Descends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descends. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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