described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
describe a picture
The police asked her to describe the thief.
There were so many things he wanted to describe …—
James Joyce
James Joyce2
: to represent by a figure, model, or picture : delineate
described in her paintings what she saw from her window
3
obsolete
: distribute
4
: to trace or traverse the outline of
describe a circle
describer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of describe in a Sentence
The witness wasn't able to describe the robber.
He described the house in perfect detail.
The article describes how the experiment was done.
She described watching dolphins play beside the ship.
Please describe what happened next.
Can you describe the lost dog to me?
She used a stick to describe a circle on the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eyewitnesses described civilians being struck down by airstrikes and shrapnel.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 10 June 2024
Other speakers described the community’s profound pain and anger, none more so than Allen.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024
The term — which was coined in the 1970s — refers to the willful destruction of nature and has often been used to describe the actions of the wealthy given their outsize carbon footprint.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune Europe, 9 June 2024
Crazy could also describe the upcoming season of the region’s fast-growing high school sport, which will nearly double the number of teams in the fall.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for describe 
Michael Rios, CNN, 10 June 2024
Other speakers described the community’s profound pain and anger, none more so than Allen.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024
The term — which was coined in the 1970s — refers to the willful destruction of nature and has often been used to describe the actions of the wealthy given their outsize carbon footprint.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune Europe, 9 June 2024
Crazy could also describe the upcoming season of the region’s fast-growing high school sport, which will nearly double the number of teams in the fall.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for describe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'describe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near describe
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/describe. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
describe
verb
de·scribe
di-ˈskrīb 
described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
2
: to trace the outline of
describe a circle
describer
noun
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