ascend

verb

as·​cend ə-ˈsend How to pronounce ascend (audio)
ascended; ascending; ascends
Synonyms of ascendnext

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: to go or move up
ascend a staircase
2
: to succeed to : occupy
ascend the throne
ascendable adjective
or ascendible
ə-ˈsen-də-bəl How to pronounce ascend (audio)

Synonyms of ascend

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rodríguez Castro may or may not ascend to the very top of Cuba’s official power structure. — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026 Maxey has also become one of the NBA’s best guards, and Edgecombe is still ascending. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 2 July 2026 An autopsy later determined the cause of Grant’s shocking death, at just 49 years old, to be a ruptured ascending aortic aneurysm. — Sam McDowell 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026 An initial helicopter search was limited because of cloud cover on the mountain, the forest service said, prompting one ranger to ascend a portion of the mountain on foot to reach her. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ascend

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin ascendere, from ad- + scandere to climb — more at scan

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ascend was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing ascend

Rhymes for ascend

See All Rhymes for ascend

Browse Nearby Words

ASCE
ascend
ascendance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ascend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascend. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ascend

verb
as·​cend ə-ˈsend How to pronounce ascend (audio)
: to go up : climb, rise
ascend a hill
smoke ascends
ascendable adjective
or ascendible
-ˈsen-də-bəl How to pronounce ascend (audio)

Medical Definition

ascend

intransitive verb
as·​cend ə-ˈsend How to pronounce ascend (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on ascend

Nglish: Translation of ascend for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All