1
as in to depict
to give a representation or account of in words
he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to tell
to give an oral or written account of in some detail
a biography of Washington that describes the decisive Battle of Yorktown at great length
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of describe
Good is probably not a strong enough adjective to describe Tess's swimming ability now.
—
Matt Zahn, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The county, which pays the rents set by Mind OC at the Be Well campus in Orange and possibly the future campus in Irvine, has described those rents as criminally high.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
The Ten Commandments describe the kind of relationships the liberated slaves should pursue.
—James Coffin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
They are also described as possibly about 5 feet 10 inches tall.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
Matt Zahn, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The county, which pays the rents set by Mind OC at the Be Well campus in Orange and possibly the future campus in Irvine, has described those rents as criminally high.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
The Ten Commandments describe the kind of relationships the liberated slaves should pursue.
—James Coffin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
They are also described as possibly about 5 feet 10 inches tall.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describe
Verb
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One passage depicts the Bonnie-and-Clyde-like notoriety of Frank and the Bride, leading ordinary women to adopt her wild hairdo and goth makeup (including what are evidently meant to be burns on her mouth and tongue from all that electricity).—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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The inlay murals are particularly noteworthy, evoking chinoiserie without actually depicting anything too Orientalist.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Since childhood, letter writer was told to show up for older siblings who never reciprocated.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
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One of Ghazali's neighbors told The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the assailant's brother was killed in an airstrike.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Conversely, toxic families are characterized by harmful behaviors that damage the emotional and psychological well-being of family members.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
15 Mar. 2026
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The case, defense attorney Blake Burns told jurors, is about the government trying to characterize protesters as terrorists in order to put them in prison.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the film, Buckley portrays William Shakespeare's wife, who grapples with grief after losing their son, Hamnet, to the plague.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
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With his leading-man looks nerded down with spectacles, science T-shirts and a planet Earth hacky sack, Gosling portrays Grace as a teacher way out of his element amid hardcore NASA types.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the fear that Bacon has gathered everyone for something indulgent is quickly disabused in the silly and gory comedy where the fun all are having on screen extends to those who aren’t directly related.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
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Reducing stress may also improve symptoms, particularly in people with functional or stress-related abdominal pain.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Steyer has spent millions of his own money on ads defining himself and, in recent weeks, attacking Swalwell for missing congressional votes.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Burnout, distraction and cognitive fatigue are becoming defining challenges of the digital era.—
Elan Gepner-Dales,
Rolling Stone,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Whyte’s other songwriting contribution to the album, by contrast, illustrates all that can go wrong with solo Morrissey.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
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As my diagnostic experience illustrates, many of us are told that memory changes are normal aging and that pushing for answers is unnecessary.—
Shon Lowe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Another victim recounted in her own FBI interview that during a trip to Epstein’s island, Epstein flew her to another island and introduced her to an unnamed billionaire.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
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Colbert himself confirmed this, recounting a conversation at an Emmy Awards gathering.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describe. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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