Definition of describe
- describe a picture
- The police asked her to describe the thief.
- There were so many things he wanted to describe …
- —James Joyce
- described in her paintings what she saw from her window
- describe a circle
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.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'describe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same year: to tell someone the appearance, sound, smell, events, etc., of (something or someone) : to say what something or someone is like
: to make a motion or draw a line that shows the shape of (something)
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for describe Spanish Central: Translation of describe Nglish: Translation of describe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of describe for Arabic speakers
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