describe

verb de·scribe \ di-ˈskrīb \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: describe in a Sentence

described; describing

transitive verb

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

2 : 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

5 archaic : observe, perceive

—

describable

play \-ˈskrī-bə-bəl\ adjective

—

describer

noun

See describe defined for English-language learners

See describe defined for kids

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 of describe from the Web

That has blocked Kushner at times from seeing some parts of the President's Daily Brief, a highly classified summary of world events that sometimes describes intelligence programs and operatives, the people said.

— carol d. leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, "Limits still remain on security clearance for Trump son-in-law Kushner," 13 July 2018
Average is a mathematical construct that describes a condition that does not necessarily exist in nature any particular year.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "There's no such thing as 'average' Kentucky weather. And trees hate that," 13 July 2018
Here is how Boy Smells describes the candle: Stalker has nice stems.

— kelly conaboy, The Cut, "The Perfect Candle for Adults Who Insist on Saying ‘Veggies’," 13 July 2018
The strong-arm robbery occurred about 8:20 a.m. The suspect is described as a black male with a medium build, 6 feet 1 inch, 180 pounds and bald.

— d. kwas, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man sought in strong-arm robbery of woman at Sentry Foods on Milwaukee's west side," 13 July 2018
Ward, who is said to have returned to Melwood in good shape and has been described as 'outstanding' in training and friendlies so far, is apparently getting the 'time and space' from Klopp to make his case and take the starting job for himself.

— SI.com, "Jurgen Klopp Turns to Surprise Contender as He Looks for New Liverpool Number One Goalkeeper," 13 July 2018
This is how the document’s Findings of Fact describe what happened next: Florida Keys News Update Stay up to date on news from the Keys Recaptcha requires verification.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "The doctor said she was due for a mammogram. Then, he grabbed her breasts, she said," 12 July 2018
While the Rockets' negotiations with center Clint Capela remain a stalemate, their offer has been much closer to Capela's demands that had been described in recent days.

— jonathan feigen, Houston Chronicle, "Rockets optimistic on re-signing Clint Capela," 11 July 2018
There was more to him than points: Jordan described his role early in his senior season.

— scott horner, Indianapolis Star, "Here are Purdue basketball's top 10 career scorers," 10 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of describe

Middle English, from Latin describere, from de- + scribere to write — more at scribe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

describe Synonyms

Synonyms

delineate, depict, draw, image, limn, paint, picture, portray, render, set out, sketch;

Near Antonyms

color, distort, falsify, garble, misdescribe, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp;

demonstrate, illustrate;

narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell;

display, exhibit, show;

hint, suggest;

draft, outline, silhouette, trace, vignette;

summarize, sum up, touch off;

redescribe, reimage;

DESCRIBE Defined for English Language Learners

describe

verb

: to tell someone the appearance, sound, smell, events, etc., of (something or someone) : to say what something or someone is like
: to make a motion or draw a line that shows the shape of (something)

DESCRIBE Defined for Kids

describe

verb de·scribe \ di-ˈskrīb \

described; describing

1 : to write or tell about

Describe what you saw.

2 : to draw the outline of

First, describe a circle.

Word Root of describe

The Latin word scribere, meaning “to write,” and its form scriptus give us the roots scrib and script. Words from the Latin scribere have something to do with writing. To scribble is to write quickly or carelessly. To describe is to write or tell about something or someone. A manuscript is a document written by hand. To transcribe is to write down something spoken or copy something written.