Ascend Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of ASCEND

1

formal

:

to go up

:

to rise or move toward the sky

[no object]

• They watched their balloons slowly ascend into the sky.
• Divers must not ascend too rapidly/quickly to the water's surface.
• She believed that when she died, her soul would ascend to heaven.

[+ object]

• Most people are able to ascend [=_climb_] the mountain in less than four hours.
• She said good night and ascended [=_climbed_] the stairs to her room.

— opposite descend

2

[no object]

:

to slope or lead upward

• Several paths ascend to the top of the mountain.
• stairs ascending to the attic

— opposite descend

3

[no object]

:

to rise to a higher or more powerful position in a government, company, etc.

• John Adams ascended to the presidency in 1797.
• She worked as a clerk before ascending to her current position.
• A new national government ascended [=_rose_] to power. [=it gained control of the country]

ascend (to) the throne

:

to become a king or queen

• He ascended the throne after the death of his father.
• In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth kills the king and ascends to the throne.

in ascending order

◊ If people or things are in ascending order, they are arranged in a series that begins with the least or smallest and ends with the greatest or largest.

• The children were lined up in ascending order of height.
• Test scores are listed in ascending order from lowest to highest.