Definition of DEPICT

Depict and Depiction

If you depict someone or something, you show what that person or thing is like—either in some kind of image (such as a drawing, painting, photograph, or movie), or with words.

What results from your efforts to depict that person or thing can be called a depiction. The noun depiction is included at this entry without a definition because its meaning can be easily understood from the definition of the verb—it's the act of, or an instance of, depicting something or someone—but some examples of depiction in a sentence might be helpful:

The depiction of the battle in the painting is not historically correct.

I think the novel is a good depiction of a typical modern American marriage.

Many were moved by the film's depictions of animals helping people.

The author's depiction of the practice as uncommon is problematic; it's done by millions of people throughout the world every day.

The essay is an honest depiction of life in the city.

The book is fascinating in its depiction of the country's early history.

Examples of depict in a Sentence

The wall was painted with a large mural depicting famous scenes from American history. Several of the architect's most famous buildings will soon be depicted on postage stamps. The photograph depicts the two brothers standing in front of a store. Angels are usually depicted with wings. In the drawing, the magic cap was depicted as a soft, black hat. The movie depicts the life of early settlers. I like the way she depicts the characters in her novels.

Recent Examples on the Web

All three exhibits are rooted in the idea of making art about the act of looking down from above, a transgression of the traditional notion of depicting landscapes as if a picture were a window. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Cuyahoga 50 photo shows uncover fresh takes on the recovery of a once combustible river," 30 June 2019 At the same time, conservators were busy preserving the building’s beautiful wall paintings, which depict saints and other figurative and geometric scenes. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Pioneering Conservation Project Saves Earthquake-Damaged Peruvian Church," 28 June 2019 The 5,000 fans in attendance, including at least one sporting a purple LSU pullover, are treated to video after video depicting Miles. — Amie Just, nola.com, "The Les Miles Show brings signs of life, hope to Kansas football program," 28 June 2019 The writer Isaac Babel praised it, as did the Donbass miners depicted within. — Aaron Lake Smith, Harper's magazine, "The Trials of Vasily Grossman," 24 June 2019 Iran’s strike on the U.S. drone Thursday followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Trump’s account of Iran strike decision draws scrutiny," 21 June 2019 On the wall along the staircase of her Washington, D.C., home, filmmaker Aviva Kempner has a trio of hooked rugs depicting what many fans would consider history's three most iconic Jewish baseball players: Hank Greenberg, Moe Berg and Sandy Koufax. — John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press, "Filmmaker Aviva Kempner on the making of a doc about ballplayer-turned-spy Moe Berg," 19 June 2019 The anti-Trump rally will see a return of the Baby Trump blimp, which depicts the president as a whiny diapered baby clutching a cellphone. — Washington Post, "Trump says Theresa May should ‘stick around’ for the great U.S.-British trade deal, but she’ll be gone by July," 5 June 2019 Make your way to one of the city’s most beloved sites: Bronze Horseman, which depicts Peter the Great on horseback crushing a snake, a metaphor for his adversaries. — Aanchal Anand, National Geographic, "Cathedrals, canals, and cafés: the ultimate St. Petersburg itinerary," 23 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depict.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.