descend from
phrasal verb
descended from; descending from; descends from
: to have (something or someone in the past) as an origin or source
Recent evidence supports the theory that birds descended from dinosaurs.
The plants descend from a common ancestor.
They claim to be descended from a noble British family.
Examples of descend from in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gag this year was that a thunder goddess would actually appear: an enormous golden mask with big, blinking blue eyes descending from the ceiling.
—
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Finding Your Roots has also uncovered that Shonda Rhimes, Joe Manganiello, and Maya Rudolph are descended from people who were enslaved prior to the American Civil War.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
All insects descend from a common ancestor that lived about about 480 million years ago.
—Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025
President Jackson is also known for descending from a terrace at the White House in mid-speech to beat a heckler with his hickory stick.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend from
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Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Finding Your Roots has also uncovered that Shonda Rhimes, Joe Manganiello, and Maya Rudolph are descended from people who were enslaved prior to the American Civil War.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
All insects descend from a common ancestor that lived about about 480 million years ago.
—Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025
President Jackson is also known for descending from a terrace at the White House in mid-speech to beat a heckler with his hickory stick.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend from
Cite this Entry
“Descend from.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descend%20from. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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