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
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
TikTok users flooded the comment section with responses describing the scene as heartwarming and emotionally stirring.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The brothers ran, but Brown was fatally wounded, and witnesses described seeing a pickup truck fleeing the scene.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025
Leavitt described the facility's remote location in her briefing on Monday.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 30 June 2025
Francesca Cappelletti, Director of the Galleria Borghese, aptly describes Mutu’s work as encouraging a deeper, more intense way of looking — one that expands the museum experience beyond aesthetics into inquiry.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for describe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The brothers ran, but Brown was fatally wounded, and witnesses described seeing a pickup truck fleeing the scene.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025
Leavitt described the facility's remote location in her briefing on Monday.
—Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 30 June 2025
Francesca Cappelletti, Director of the Galleria Borghese, aptly describes Mutu’s work as encouraging a deeper, more intense way of looking — one that expands the museum experience beyond aesthetics into inquiry.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for describe
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/describe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share