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
Markus — whose great-great-great-grandfather invented the nutcracker doll — makes nutcrackers for a living, as did each of his forefathers who descended from the great inventor.
—
Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
Clades refer to biological groups that all descend from one common ancestor.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Copeland descends from the Haskells’ son Roger, while John is a descendant of their son William IV, making Matthew and Cox 11th cousins once removed.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descend from
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Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
Clades refer to biological groups that all descend from one common ancestor.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.
—Jenn Pelly, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Copeland descends from the Haskells’ son Roger, while John is a descendant of their son William IV, making Matthew and Cox 11th cousins once removed.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
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