Meaning

(intransitive) To move upward, to fly, to soar..

Definitions by Sense

1. (intransitive) To move upward, to fly, to soar.
2. (intransitive) To slope in an upward direction.
3. (transitive) To go up.
4. (ambitransitive) To succeed a ruler on (the throne).
5. (intransitive, figurative) To rise; to become higher, more noble, etc.
6. To trace, search or go backwards temporally (e.g., through records, genealogies, routes, etc.).
7. (transitive, music) To become higher in pitch.
8. (incel slang, intramurally derogatory) To cease being an incel, generally by losing one's virginity and engaging in sexual intercourse, or by forming a romantic relationship.

Example Sentences

He ascended to heaven upon a cloud.

You ascend the stairs and take a right.

When a train has to ascend the incline, it first runs down, engine first, from the station about 60 or 70 yards. Then comes behind it the aforesaid truck, or one similar, which, being attached to an endless wire rope, a communication is made by means of the electric telegraph to the engineman at the top of the incline, when the fixed engine begins to work, and the train, partly pulled by the locomotive before, and partly pushed by the truck behind, rapidly ascends, taking somewhere about three minutes to get up.

She ascended the throne when her mother abdicated.

She ascended to the throne when her mother abdicated.

Our inquiries ascend to the remotest antiquity.

Instead of using sexual conquest as an opportunity to “ascend,” these members advocated for pursuing internal self-improvement.

Many femcels take extreme measures to 'ascend from femceldom', and Laura describes how she is in the process of improving her looks and personality.

Word Forms

• ascends
• ascending
• ascended

Synonyms for ascend

Antonyms for ascend

Related Words

When Should You Use Ascend?

Use ascend when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions