DESCENDING (ON OR UPON) Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

descending (on or upon)

verb

present participle of descend (on or upon)

as in attacking

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 descending (on or upon)

Verb

Generally, these hunters do not start attacking cells unless there is a reason to do so, such as inflammation, a key marker of infection.

— Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
For example, Way of the Sword rewards defensive play in the form of Issen, powerful counterattacks that are triggered by attacking before an enemy strikes.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before.

— U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Check it out… ‘Ruthless Podcast’ dives into Swalwell’s Fang Fang scandal and the FBI raiding his home.

— , FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of raiding

Verb

Ibe, 30, appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday to be sentenced for assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm, and he was fined and sentenced to community service, according to BBC News.

— Ali Rampling, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
He was accused of assaulting an unidentified 29-year-old woman the day prior to his arrest.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of assaulting

Verb

Such mutinous talk only heightened conservative Justices’ sense that the barbarians were storming the gate.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Davis Polk's client note describes the package as continuing bombardment rather than storming the beaches, built from existing authorities.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of storming

Verb

The Federal Aviation Administration and Amazon confirmed the plane came down striking multiple vehicles.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Smith answered Saturday against Ball State, catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns — all before halftime — and striking the pose after his second score.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of striking

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.

Browse Nearby Words

descending

descending (on or upon)

descend (on or upon)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Descending (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descending%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of descending (on or upon)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gist

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes