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
Her epiphany came from a book in which the author described her own journey with IVF.
—
Janet W. Lee, NPR, 12 Jan. 2026
Leaders and parents describe multiple generations of families continuing to enroll their children at the center, which has served over 2,000 students, ages 18 months to 12 years old.
—Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, Dallas Morning News, 12 Jan. 2026
To introduce the initiative, the festival has also produced a promotional film starring Alexander Karim and David Dencik, directed by Mats Udd, reflecting what the Festival has described as the value of truth in contemporary society.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2026
How was Jonah described to you?
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
Janet W. Lee, NPR, 12 Jan. 2026
Leaders and parents describe multiple generations of families continuing to enroll their children at the center, which has served over 2,000 students, ages 18 months to 12 years old.
—Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, Dallas Morning News, 12 Jan. 2026
To introduce the initiative, the festival has also produced a promotional film starring Alexander Karim and David Dencik, directed by Mats Udd, reflecting what the Festival has described as the value of truth in contemporary society.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2026
How was Jonah described to you?
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for describe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describe
Verb
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In May 2025, Fadich posted a graphic on Instagram depicting a gun pointed directly at Mace’s face.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Unfortunately, at least as depicted in Part 1, Sophie and Benedict’s romance lacks the tantalizing heat and erotic chemistry of the show’s previous central couples.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Police added that Lattimore was arrested for not telling the officer there was a gun inside the vehicle when asked.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Federal prosecutors have launched a new criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, after a grand jury previously declined to indict her twice on unrelated criminal charges, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To him, 1000 Corporate Drive was no call center; that term would better characterize his previous dump in Hollywood, Florida.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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The move was characterized as a typical political conflict; however, the revelations from these whistleblowers raise questions about whether there could have also been a motive to keep wrongdoing concealed.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Republicans portrayed the move as partisan and urged an appeal.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
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Erika Toda portrays Hosoki, while Sairi Ito plays Minori Uozumi, a writer tasked with ghostwriting Hosoki’s autobiography.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dykstra, 62, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing narcotics and narcotic-related equipment but was not taken into custody, trooper Kody Nowicki told The Athletic.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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With so many insects packed together in moist and dark places — and all closely related, sharing the same genetic vulnerabilities — infections and diseases can quickly pose an enormous threat to the well-being of an ant colony.—
Arundathi Nair,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Corporate Traveler, the flagship SME division of Flight Centre Travel Group, announced the release of its Business Travel 2025 Year-in-Review, an annual report delivering a comprehensive retrospective of the key trends, behaviors and destinations that defined the business travel over the past year.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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But while his own work is marked by coincidences and unexpected bookends, some provided by the universe and some engineered by the filmmaker, at its core, it’s defined by an unswerving faith in the boundless eccentricities and fascinating fixations of other people.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Advocates said that finding illustrates the severe lack of housing capacity in Orange County.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
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Moore’s Law illustrates the exponential growth of computing power over decades—a compounding curve that explains why so many breakthroughs are converging at once.—
Phil Kafarakis,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Democratic Congressman Mike Thompson called LaMalfa an honorable public servant and recounted the two working together to deliver help for wildfire victims.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Comprising five books, the series takes place from 1860 to 1968 in Stockholm, and recounts the city’s transformation from poor and barely industrialized to a shining capital of the modern welfare state.—
Colton Valentine,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describe. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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