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下来;下去;下降
    • The plane began to descend.飞机开始降落。🔊🔊
    • The results, ranked in descending order (= from the highest to the lowest) are as follows…结果按递减顺序排列如下…
    • descend something She descended the stairs slowly.她缓慢地走下楼梯。🔊🔊
    opposite ascend
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • quickly
    • rapidly
    • slowly
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] (formal) (of a hill, etc.山等) to slope downwards下斜;下倾
    • At this point the path descends steeply.小路从这里陡然而下。🔊🔊
    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.夜晚、黑暗、情绪等) to arrive and begin to affect somebody/something降临;来临 synonym fall
    • Night descends quickly in the tropics.热带地区天黑得快。🔊🔊
    • descend on/upon somebody/something Calm descended on the crowd.人群平静下来。🔊🔊
  4. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French descendre, from Latin descendere, from de- ‘down’ + scandere ‘to climb’.