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
Among the students, what might broadly be described as concern over political correctness simply did not exist.
—Brooke Allen, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Under former Presidents Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush, amnesty proposals were seldom described as such.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
Robert Shireman, a former Obama-era Education Department official, described the process as the higher-ed equivalent of filing taxes.
—Miami Herald, 12 July 2025
The site is described as Yale University’s former Wright Nuclear Structures Laboratory at 268 Whitney Avenue, New Haven.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 July 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.
Brooke Allen, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Under former Presidents Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush, amnesty proposals were seldom described as such.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
Robert Shireman, a former Obama-era Education Department official, described the process as the higher-ed equivalent of filing taxes.
—Miami Herald, 12 July 2025
The site is described as Yale University’s former Wright Nuclear Structures Laboratory at 268 Whitney Avenue, New Haven.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 July 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 18 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