as in to assault
to take sudden, violent action against
the shock troops descended on the village without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descend (on or upon)
Verb
-
Uber has said the driver gave them a different version of events, saying the driver claimed the two riders fought in the back of his car and assaulted him at the end of the trip.—
Annabella Rosciglione,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Apr. 2025 -
Warhorse bandmates drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt assaulted their instruments with their trademark goofiness and aggression, with three other touring members helping fill the massive venue with a legion of guitars and keys.—
Jeff Miller,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Korematsu was just 22 years old and working hard to expand his family’s flower nursery outside San Francisco when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.—
Lauren Stienstra,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Every American should reject the president's and his cronies' illegitimate use of government power to attack his enemies.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
A little less than a month after the meeting, the FBI raided the offices of Feeding Our Future.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Getty Images — Erin Doherty 23 Hours Ago Tech, finance leaders reportedly visiting Trump to ‘talk common sense’ on tariffs An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home after Trump said that FBI agents raided it, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. August 15, 2022.—
Erin Doherty,Annika Kim Constantino,Yun Li,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Such is the case with this 15-minute fictionalized short inspired by the traumatic aftermath of a real event — when a group of Proud Boys in 2022 stormed a Drag Queen Story Hour program at the East Bay’s San Lorenzo Library and proceeded to hurl gay and transphobic slurs there.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Soon after Noboa took office in 2023, the country suffered back-to-back emergencies: a notorious gang leader escaped from prison; days later, a band of gunmen stormed a major TV station and took the staff hostage.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Several aftershocks have since struck nearby, including one of 6.4-magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.—
Ross Adkin, Alex Stambaugh and Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared a state of emergency in six regions -- Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Nay Pyi Taw and Bago – after the earthquake struck the country, followed by a series of aftershocks.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Descend (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descend%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share