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
Several chefs described the event as a week of camaraderie.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
An initial alert from the campus described a potential suspect as a white man, about 6 feet tall, and wearing black pants.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Kinley Lee, 28, and a woman described in court documents as his wife, 33-year-old Katherine Sulky, are believed to be living on Lake Chapala, about 300 miles west of Mexico City, in a community with other expatriates.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2025
However, the autopsy will likely note Montoya’s multiple stab wounds, based on what police and witnesses described in documents.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 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.
Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
An initial alert from the campus described a potential suspect as a white man, about 6 feet tall, and wearing black pants.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Kinley Lee, 28, and a woman described in court documents as his wife, 33-year-old Katherine Sulky, are believed to be living on Lake Chapala, about 300 miles west of Mexico City, in a community with other expatriates.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2025
However, the autopsy will likely note Montoya’s multiple stab wounds, based on what police and witnesses described in documents.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 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