1
as in dips
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude
the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorations
a change to a lower state or level
the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demises
a loss of status
for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans
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4
as in incursions
a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory
the lightning descent of the invading army on that unsuspecting border town
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5
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the descent of the voracious locusts on the wheat fields
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6
as in ancestries
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a person of Finnish descent
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7
as in downhills
a downward slope
on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descents
This extra room also comes in handy on technical descents where the foot tends to smash into the front of the shoe.
—
Will Porter, Outside, 13 Sep. 2025
This three-day program moves on to teaching more advanced techniques, like left-foot braking, handling ascents and descents, and weight transfer.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Human sequences depicted various runs and also ascents, descents, lifts, throws, wrestling, dances, a child crawling, and a woman pouring a bucket of water over another woman.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 May 2019
Will Porter, Outside, 13 Sep. 2025
This three-day program moves on to teaching more advanced techniques, like left-foot braking, handling ascents and descents, and weight transfer.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025
Human sequences depicted various runs and also ascents, descents, lifts, throws, wrestling, dances, a child crawling, and a woman pouring a bucket of water over another woman.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 May 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descents
Noun
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Cast-iron skillets aren't just for dinner or dessert—they're also the perfect serving vessels for hot dips like black eyed pea dip, spinach artichoke dip, and queso.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
20 Sep. 2025
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Those under-invested in equities and looking to manage timing risks should consider phasing into stocks during market dips, Hoffmann-Burchardi said.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The mission, the fourth of 2025, would also be Starship's first flight since May 27 amid a year plagued by explosive demises for the vehicle.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
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But a good time in enviable vacation spots is guaranteed, with ghoulish demises for many principal figures here served up like caviar on sashimi.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The collaboration comes as Taiwan seeks to boost its defense resilience against potential threats from China, including maritime and aerial incursions.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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The Russian incursions into NATO airspace builds on a years-long hybrid warfare against countries in the alliance, defined by acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, destruction of infrastructure and attacks on individuals.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The only minor criticism is that there is a lot of visual detail in the game, and enemy attacks, as well as their sudden movements, can often take you by surprise.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Ukrainian defense forces took down the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna dish to prevent Russian forces from using it to guide attacks on its territory.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The box covers the most popular classes and ancestries such as humans, elves, dwarves and halflings.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Today’s critics note that fluoride is now available in toothpaste, as well as in ingestible drops and tablets like the ones for children that the FDA is working to remove from the marketplace.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
18 Sep. 2025
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Rinse the filter under water, using a couple of drops of dish soap if needed.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some of those mistakes eventually cause their downfalls.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
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The lack of effective clock management was one of the downfalls of the Bears’ last coach, Matt Eberflus.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His authorities again became a flashpoint last week, when the House voted to repeal two decades-old war powers laws relating to the 1991 and 2003 invasions of Iraq, this time with the help of Republicans.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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Home invasions, vicious biker gangs and a rag-tag task force looking for a group of thieves after a young child goes missing.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descents. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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