depict

verb

de·pict | \ di-ˈpikt

, dē-\

depicted; depicting; depicts

Definition of depict

transitive verb

1 : to represent by or as if by a picture a mural depicting a famous battle

2 : describe sense 1 the way the novelist depicts his female characters

Other Words from depict Synonyms Depict and Depiction More Example Sentences Learn More about depict

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Other Words from depict

depicter \ di-ˈpik-tər

, dē- \ noun

depiction \ di-ˈpik-shən

, dē- \ noun

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

In reality, their introduction didn't play out exactly how it's depicted on screen. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Did Queen Victoria Really Meet Florence Nightingale?," 4 Feb. 2019 Architectural space is depicted with astonishing precision. — Sharmila Mukherjee, The Seattle Times, "SAM’s ‘Peacock in the Desert’ opens the doors of our perception to the marvelous," 2 Jan. 2019 They both are depicted in the piece as underestimating or misjudging the company’s problems at every turn, and perhaps even actively ignoring them. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "Who does Facebook fire after a bombshell New York Times investigation?," 15 Nov. 2018 The Lightning Zeus is depicted as such to mirror the geophysical phenomena of Mount Ainos, known for its spectacular thunderstorms. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's hidden Historical Locations map is stuffed with Ancient Greek lore," 11 Oct. 2018 Interestingly, although Venus is depicted as breathtakingly magnificent, her genesis story isn’t particularly appealing. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What the Position of Venus in Your Birth Chart Means for You," 31 July 2018 These later scenes are tricky and a little bit problematic; the way certain creatures are depicted dissipate the tension rather than heighten it. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Sorry to Bother You' review: Satirizing black identity and corporate ethics, ruthlessly," 5 July 2018 Scott is depicted as an unstable fantasist at first, repeatedly seeming to blackmail Thorpe (and writing Thorpe’s mother a seven-page letter including details about their affair). — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "Sex, Lies, and Bunnies in A Very English Scandal," 3 July 2018 But they are largely depicted as well-meaning and caring, indeed, as surrogate parents. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A spirited but flawed ‘Born For This’," 25 June 2018

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.