describe

verb de·scribe \ di-ˈskrīb \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of describe

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.

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

play \-ˈskrī-bə-bəl\ adjective

—

describer

noun

See describe defined for English-language learners

See describe defined for kids

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 of describe from the Web

Musk described the new auto-less mission as a departure from his original concept for The Boring Company, which focuses on drilling tunnels beneath major urban centers.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "Tech billionaire Elon Musk plans hyperloop high-speed acceleration and braking test," 8 Apr. 2018
Journalist David Cay Johnston describes quizzing Trump on the casino business with questions peppered with obvious flashoods.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Netflix's Trump: An American Dream Shows the President Has Always Been Like This," 7 Apr. 2018
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office described the alleged attacker as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds with a thin build and dark hair, who wore a white t-shirt and dark colored pants the night of the attack.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Texas nurse stabbed after assailant called her ‘raghead,’ ‘desert monkey,’ police say | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 7 Apr. 2018
In 1930s-era New Orleans, the report describes how the hazardous label was given nearly exclusively to neighborhoods where black people lived.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "8 reasons why New Orleans neighborhoods remain segregated," 6 Apr. 2018
Net neutrality describes government rules that prevent internet companies from giving favored treatment or faster access to websites that pay a premium to reach their customers.

— mike rogoway, OregonLive.com, "Gov. Kate Brown will sign Oregon's net neutrality bill today," 6 Apr. 2018
Manager Eddie Howe has described Stanislas, who has scored four goals in his last eight Premier League appearances, as a 'big miss'.

— SI.com, "Bournemouth Manager Eddie Howe Confirms Key Winger Will Miss Rest of the Season With Knee Injury," 6 Apr. 2018
Coats described their pizza as thin, crisp but foldable, with a crunch but still chewy.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Goodfellas Pizzeria headed to Pleasant Ridge," 6 Apr. 2018
In his opening remarks to the jury, police attorney Mark Newbold described Mims' death as a tragedy.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Expert: Police acted reasonably in shooting mentally ill man; family attorney scoffs | Charlotte Observer," 5 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of describe

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

describe Synonyms

Synonyms

delineate, depict, draw, image, limn, paint, picture, portray, render, set out, sketch;

Near Antonyms

color, distort, falsify, garble, misdescribe, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp;

demonstrate, illustrate;

narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell;

display, exhibit, show;

hint, suggest;

draft, outline, silhouette, trace, vignette;

summarize, sum up, touch off;

redescribe, reimage;

DESCRIBE Defined for English Language Learners

describe

verb

Definition of describe for English Language Learners

: 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)

DESCRIBE Defined for Kids

describe

verb de·scribe \ di-ˈskrīb \

Definition of describe for Students

described; describing

1 : to write or tell about

Describe what you saw.

2 : to draw the outline of

First, describe a circle.

Word Root of describe

The Latin word scribere, meaning “to write,” and its form scriptus give us the roots scrib and script. Words from the Latin scribere have something to do with writing. To scribble is to write quickly or carelessly. To describe is to write or tell about something or someone. A manuscript is a document written by hand. To transcribe is to write down something spoken or copy something written.