ascend

verb

as·​cend ə-ˈsend 

ascended; ascending; ascends

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1

: to go or move up

ascend a staircase

2

: to succeed to : occupy

ascend the throne

ascendable adjective

or ascendible

ə-ˈsen-də-bəl 

Synonyms

• arise
• aspire
• climb
• lift
• mount
• rise
• soar
• thrust
• up
• uprear
• uprise
• upthrust
• upturn

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

Karl Leitz Japan’s Firefly Squid Is Embraced by Chefs Stateside Editors’ Picks Image Each spring, hotaru ika, or firefly squid, ascend to the surface of western Japan’s Toyama Bay to spawn, setting the water aglow with pinpricks of electric blue light. —New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

My sense is that many within the organization want to get something done with Stafford but are also thinking about the ascending young group of players, including some with early contract extensions coming due over the next two years. —Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025

Imagine a soaring cathedral reaching towards a vast skylight but re-imagined with layers of architectural rings that gradually ascend, creating a dizzying illusion of immense vertical distance and distorted perspective. —Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2025

And even then Trump would have to be appointed Vice President, like Gerald Ford was, before ascending to the Presidency. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin ascendere, from ad- + scandere to climb — more at scan

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing ascend

• ascend (to) the throne

Kids Definition

ascend

verb

as·​cend ə-ˈsend 

: to go up : climb, rise

ascend a hill

smoke ascends

ascendable adjective

or ascendible

-ˈsen-də-bəl 

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