1
as in depicts
to give a representation or account of in words
he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tells
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
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3
as in characterizes
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of describes
Anthropic describes the index as an early baseline rather than a final verdict.
—
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
The profile describes him as fit and active, and willing to cover all the costs of raising a child.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
Liu’s story about piercing herself with a needle and a mirror may sound casual, but self-piercing in the mouth carries additional infection risk given the bacteria the ADA describes.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
Robinson describes Smith as the blueprint for a talent tailor-made for Globe Originals.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
One document that has been shared describes the torture of a small child by a group of men.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
The families allege the officials violated the girls’ constitutional rights by licensing and renewing Camp Mystic despite what the complaint describes as noncompliance with state safety rules.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
So every contending team enters the season believing that describes them.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
The report describes a blue Ford approaching the area where the ICE agents were directing traffic.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
The profile describes him as fit and active, and willing to cover all the costs of raising a child.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
Liu’s story about piercing herself with a needle and a mirror may sound casual, but self-piercing in the mouth carries additional infection risk given the bacteria the ADA describes.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
Robinson describes Smith as the blueprint for a talent tailor-made for Globe Originals.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
One document that has been shared describes the torture of a small child by a group of men.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
The families allege the officials violated the girls’ constitutional rights by licensing and renewing Camp Mystic despite what the complaint describes as noncompliance with state safety rules.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
So every contending team enters the season believing that describes them.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
The report describes a blue Ford approaching the area where the ICE agents were directing traffic.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
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This salacious historical miniseries depicts Countess Mary Villiers and her efforts to propel her son George forward by any means necessary.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
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Filmed over a period of two years, the film depicts the lives of civilians across the Ukrainian territory and captures the population’s resilience in the face of the Russian war of aggression.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lots of the amenities, though (like the custom newspaper that tells you what to do in the area), are designed for self-sufficient guests.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The real estate industry tells a similar, if less pronounced, story.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Home to 12 tracks, the set is a explosion of rhythms that navigates from merengue to cumbia to soca music, without losing touch of that reggaetón and perreo DNA that best characterizes who Justin and Lenny are as artists.—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
20 Feb. 2026
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Tozal characterizes the neighborhood response to the redesign of Archer as universally negative, but there have been many weeks when supporters have outnumbered opponents during the protests.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by John Galsworthy’s novels, The Forsytes portrays events that take place before those covered in Galsworthy’s books.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
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The actor, who portrays surly Russian hockey captain Ilya Rozanov in the show, is in no way, shape or form Russian, and learned to speak the language rather flawlessly in just three weeks before filming.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The file recounts a call made by an unnamed person to the FBI National Threat Operations Center.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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Lynton recounts a table read of the script for Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, which ends with the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Borrero’s amendment defines large destination resorts as those with at least five contiguous acres, 500 rooms or more and an average occupancy rate of at least 70% in the past three years.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
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Swoosh print defines this KD 6 colorway from 2013 now returning for the first time.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The episode also illustrates a different principle, and one that is less legal than technological.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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Data illustrates there are racial disparities among those who struggle to pay for care.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s a lovely little formula called the small-angle approximation that relates the two.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Feb. 2026
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But the story Sorkin relates is really all about the insiders, their privileged lives, their thoughts and actions.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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