descend from

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
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.
For much of my life, my mother’s side of the family—consummate New Englanders, some of them descended from a passenger on the Mayflower—seemed somewhat foreign to me. Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 Shelley Johannesen, 53, was killed on Monday while descending from the summit of the world's fifth-highest peak, expedition organizers said, marking the season's latest death. CBS News, 12 May 2026 Though some cases will only experience relatively minor respiratory compromise, for others, the onset of severe respiratory distress can be rapid, with people descending from minor breathing problems to needing intensive care in mere hours. ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026 Eight climbers died on Mount Everest when they were caught in a blizzard while descending from the summit. USA Today, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for descend from

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Descend from.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descend%20from. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster