ascended; ascending; ascends
1
a
: to move upward
the balloon ascended
b
: to slope upward
The path ascends through the woods.
c
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
an ascending somatosensory pathway
2
a
: to rise from a lower level or degree
ascend to power
b
: to go back in time or in order of genealogical succession
c
: to pass from lower to higher musical notes
C – E ascending
1
: to go or move up
ascend a staircase
2
: to succeed to : occupy
ascend the throne
Synonyms
Examples of ascend in a Sentence
They watched their balloons slowly ascend into the sky.
Divers must not ascend too rapidly to the water's surface.
She believed that when she died, her soul would ascend to heaven.
Several paths ascend to the top of the mountain.
stairs ascending to the attic
John Adams ascended to the presidency in 1797.
She worked as a clerk before ascending to her current position.
Recent Examples on the Web
Donning a black suit and hat accompanied by a cape, the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show headliner, 45, ascended the steps outside New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art Monday night while holding an accessory that looked like a dripping rose.
—
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Anything goes at the Boom Boom Room, the hotel’s famed rooftop nightclub that has ascended into the collective consciousness of infamous after-hours hangouts mentioned in the same breath as Studio 54.
—Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ascend 
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Anything goes at the Boom Boom Room, the hotel’s famed rooftop nightclub that has ascended into the collective consciousness of infamous after-hours hangouts mentioned in the same breath as Studio 54.
—Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ascend
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ascend
Cite this Entry
“Ascend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascend. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ascend
verb
as·cend
ə-ˈsend 
Medical Definition
ascend
intransitive verb
as·cend
ə-ˈsend
: to move upward: as
a
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
nerve fibers that ascend to a nucleus of the brain
ascending and descending tracts
b
: to affect the extremities and especially the lower limbs first and then the central nervous system
ascending paralysis
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