1
as in drop
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude
the airplane began its gradual descent to the landing field
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2
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the family patriarch's heartbreaking descent into infirmity and senility
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3
as in degradation
a change to a lower state or level
the nation's rapid descent into anarchy after the revolution
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4
as in demise
a loss of status
for throwing the game, the ballplayer underwent a huge descent in the eyes of the fans
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5
as in invasion
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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6
as in attack
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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7
as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
a person of Finnish descent
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8
as in downhill
a downward slope
on bicycle tours the ascents always seem to outnumber the descents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descent
All three parachutes on the capsule deployed during the crew's descent; on the company's previous uncrewed research flight earlier this month, one of the capsule's parachutes failed to deploy.
—
Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Lebanese, Iranian and Egyptian populations represented nearly half of the 3.5 million who reported Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the 2020 Census.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025
The win caps off an incredible awards season for Sawai, who made history at the 2024 Emmy Awards as the first actress of Asian descent to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
—Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 23 Feb. 2025
The amendment was a direct response to the 1857 Dred Scott decision where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people of African descent were not included in the definition of 'citizen'.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Lebanese, Iranian and Egyptian populations represented nearly half of the 3.5 million who reported Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the 2020 Census.
—Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025
The win caps off an incredible awards season for Sawai, who made history at the 2024 Emmy Awards as the first actress of Asian descent to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
—Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 23 Feb. 2025
The amendment was a direct response to the 1857 Dred Scott decision where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people of African descent were not included in the definition of 'citizen'.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for descent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descent
Noun
-
The drop had less to do with Kinder’s Q4 report (which was a lot more good than bad) and more to do with the fact that KMI shares had roughly doubled for the year heading into it.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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The collaboration features multiple chapters, with the superstar unveiling more items with each drop.—
Caché McClay,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This industry is the major culprit in the bay’s deterioration.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Feb. 2025
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In the fourth quarter, revenues were up 2 percent at constant exchange rates, returning to growth after several quarters of deterioration, mainly thanks to the improvement recorded by the wholesale channel.—
Luisa Zargani,
WWD,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Warming is also altering rain patterns, accelerating droughts, facilitating the spread of devastating diseases like pod rot, and contributing to soil degradation.—
Ayurella Horn-Muller,
WIRED,
22 Feb. 2025
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Finding the right chemistry The degradation of battery performance is largely a matter of its key components gradually dropping out of use within the battery.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Horror films primed on increasingly gory demises have always trafficked in archetypes.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2025
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The giddily ludicrous demises, doled out at random, are meant to balance out the darker themes in the film.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
There are no indications of a home invasion or anything like that, sources tell me, but the cops do believe more is going on than first assumed.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2025
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That sentiment was compounded earlier in the day when the U.S. joined Russia, North Korea and Belarus in opposing a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But in light of ongoing attacks against PayPal accounts using emails sent from genuine PayPal addresses, how will this help protect you from hackers and scammers?—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, about 5:15 p.m. Monday, deputies responded to the area's Valley community for a report of a dog attack.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Most African Americans have sub-Saharan West African ancestry.—
Leah Small,
Scientific American,
24 Feb. 2025
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The transition to her new, cold home also could be difficult due to a cat's ancestry.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Sandra Whyte scores on an empty-netter with eight seconds left to give the United States a 3-1 victory over Canada. 2010 — Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso finish 1-2 in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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Teaming with Breezy Johnson in her second race back since that injury, Shiffrin skied a strong enough slalom to lift the duo from fourth after the downhill to the gold medal.—
Zack Pierce,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descent. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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