ascended; ascending; ascends
1
a
: to move upward
the balloon ascended
b
: to slope upward
The path ascends through the woods.
c
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
an ascending somatosensory pathway
2
a
: to rise from a lower level or degree
ascend to power
b
: to go back in time or in order of genealogical succession
c
: to pass from lower to higher musical notes
C – E ascending
1
: to go or move up
ascend a staircase
2
: to succeed to : occupy
ascend the throne
Examples of ascend in a Sentence
They watched their balloons slowly ascend into the sky.
Divers must not ascend too rapidly to the water's surface.
She believed that when she died, her soul would ascend to heaven.
Several paths ascend to the top of the mountain.
stairs ascending to the attic
John Adams ascended to the presidency in 1797.
She worked as a clerk before ascending to her current position.
Recent Examples on the Web
Beatrice ascended to Community Manager of Dress to Impress after years as an influencer on the game making content, as well as being a prominent Twitch streamer and YouTuber.
—
Camille Freestone, Vogue, 13 May 2025
The pope ascended into his office immediately upon accepting his election, but his investiture mass will take place on May 18.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 12 May 2025
Released in February 2006 on a repackaged version of Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, the track would ascend to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and spend two weeks at No. 1, marking the four-time Grammy winner’s best performance on the chart to date.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 May 2025
On Thursday, Prevost ascended to become Pope Leo XIV — the first pontiff from the United States.
—Franklin Briceno, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascend
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Camille Freestone, Vogue, 13 May 2025
The pope ascended into his office immediately upon accepting his election, but his investiture mass will take place on May 18.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 12 May 2025
Released in February 2006 on a repackaged version of Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, the track would ascend to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and spend two weeks at No. 1, marking the four-time Grammy winner’s best performance on the chart to date.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 May 2025
On Thursday, Prevost ascended to become Pope Leo XIV — the first pontiff from the United States.
—Franklin Briceno, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascend
Cite this Entry
“Ascend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascend. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ascend
verb
as·cend
ə-ˈsend 
Medical Definition
ascend
intransitive verb
as·cend
ə-ˈsend
: to move upward: as
a
: to conduct nerve impulses toward or to the brain
nerve fibers that ascend to a nucleus of the brain
ascending and descending tracts
b
: to affect the extremities and especially the lower limbs first and then the central nervous system
ascending paralysis
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