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
Community leaders described the support as deeply moving amid heightened fears over a surge in antisemitic incidents.
—Reuters, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
An American visitor described chaos as gunfire erupted at Sydney’s Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival, sending hundreds fleeing.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
As detailed in a study published today in the journal Science, researchers describe the aftermath of two separate collisions between two small, rocky cosmic objects called planetesimals.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2025
The men were not traditional mariners but described on the crew roster simply as technicians.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for describe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Reuters, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
An American visitor described chaos as gunfire erupted at Sydney’s Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival, sending hundreds fleeing.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
As detailed in a study published today in the journal Science, researchers describe the aftermath of two separate collisions between two small, rocky cosmic objects called planetesimals.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2025
The men were not traditional mariners but described on the crew roster simply as technicians.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 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
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