descend on (something)
1. Literally, to drop onto someone or something. No one was too pleased when rain began to descend on our picnic. Bits of debris from the explosion descended on the town below. Mom knew we were having a pillow fight in the upstairs hallway when feathers began to descend on her.
2. By extension, to converge at a particular place or thing, often in great numbers. The kids descended on the birthday cake as soon as I set it down. People have descended on our town to attend that big software conference. Shoppers descended on our wares as soon as we opened the doors on Black Friday.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
descend (up)on someone or something
1. . Lit. [for something] to come down or fall upon someone or something. Flakes of fluffy snow descended upon the gentle slopes.
2. . Fig. [for people] to arrive or come to someone or something in great numbers. The petitioners descended upon the mayor's office in droves.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.