ascend
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to go up or move towards a higher place.
to move, climb, or rise upward. Often used intransitively or with a direct object like 'stairs' or 'mountain'.
Simple“The hikers watched the mist ascend from the valley as the sun rose.”
In context“The climbers began to ascend the final peak just as the weather conditions started to deteriorate.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
to become the new king, queen, or leader.
to succeed to a position of high authority, most commonly used in the phrase 'ascend the throne'.
Simple“The young prince will ascend the throne following his father's retirement.”
In context“Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, marking the beginning of a historic reign.”
Synonymssucceed toAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to move from lower notes to higher notes in music.
to move upward in musical pitch or to perform a scale in an upward direction.
Simple“The singer's voice seemed to ascend effortlessly during the final chorus.”
In context“The melody line continues to ascend through three octaves, creating a sense of growing tension before the resolution.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to lead or point upward, like a road or a path.
to slope or lead in an upward direction.
Simple“The narrow path began to ascend sharply after we crossed the river.”
In context“The road ascends gradually for several miles before reaching the plateau at the top of the ridge.”
Usage ascended to the throne
“By the time police officers managed to contact the boy’s father, he had ascended to the eighth station, a three-hour hike from where he had left his son.”
“When he ascended the throne, responsibility for the estate was passed to Prince William.”
From Middle English ascenden, borrowed from Old French ascendre, from Latin ascendō (“to go up, climb up to”), from ad (“to”) + scandō (“to climb”); see scan. Unrelated to accede other than common ad prefix.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.