described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
describe a picture
The police asked her to describe the thief.
The article describes how the experiment was done.
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
Gilbert blamed Congress for the funding reductions and described the layoffs as premature.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
An article in Naval History described how Loomis liked to demonstrate the ship’s Colt machine guns to local officials.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Safavi described the scale of the demonstrations as unprecedented.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The court record also describes two separate cuts requiring 20 and 13 stitches, respectively.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
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Da Lin, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
An article in Naval History described how Loomis liked to demonstrate the ship’s Colt machine guns to local officials.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Safavi described the scale of the demonstrations as unprecedented.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The court record also describes two separate cuts requiring 20 and 13 stitches, respectively.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/describe. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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
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