describe

verb

de·​scribe di-ˈskrīb 

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.

The article describes how the experiment was done.

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

di-ˈskrī-bə-bəl 

adjective

describer noun

Synonyms of describe

• depict
• portray
• characterize
• illustrate

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

The agency has increasingly framed its mission around merit, individual equal opportunity and what Lucas describes as evenhanded enforcement of civil-rights laws. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Police had received a report of a person allegedly checking parked vehicles Wednesday afternoon and arrived to find a man, described as being in his 30s, Madison Police Chief John Patterson said during a news conference Wednesday. — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

Transparency advocates, and even the Pentagon’s own internal watchdog, have described the term CUI as inconsistently applied and overused. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

Supporters describe it as a broad roadmap for addressing health disparities, noting that many of its individual provisions have been incorporated into other bills even as the broader proposal has stalled. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing describe

• can't even begin to describe

Rhymes for describe

• ascribe
• imbibe
• inscribe
• prescribe
• proscribe
• subscribe
• transcribe
• bribe
• gibe
• jibe
• tribe
• vibe

Kids 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

describable

-ˈskrī-bə-bəl 

adjective

describer noun