describes

present tense third-person singular of describe
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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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of describes In a study, the team describes how cooling a gas of radioactive atoms to temperatures colder than deep space could synchronize their radioactive decay. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025 The document describes workers becoming one with their fiery machines. Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025 The new interactive exhibition about Andrei Zhdanov in the same building now describes him as a modest party official. Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025 The inflationary Big Bang describes our cosmic origins. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025 Wröbel describes how the contradictory worlds come together to form a soft steampunk aesthetic. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 8 Sep. 2025 Malik describes how KnowBe4 Threat Labs has seen similar campaigns launched through legitimate platforms AppSheet, Microsoft, Google, QuickBooks and Telegram, which bypass native and SEG controls. Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 The piece describes a history of bad behavior and claims against Basabe and his unlikely path from reality TV and tabloids to public office in Florida. Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025 For Thiel, who grew up Lutheran but describes himself as having complicated religious views, his interpretation draws heavily on Girard’s work on sacrifice, violence, and social order, seeing Christianity as uniquely equipped to diagnose the dangers of society that technology can amplify. Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
  • At certain angles, the photo’s dark backdrop allows viewers to see the reflection of former President Barack Obama’s portrait that depicts him surrounded by greenery and flowers representing Chicago and Hawaii.
    BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This brooch is made from platinum, diamond, ruby and enamel and depicts a crying eye set in a clock.
    Nadja Sayej, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The movie tells the true story of Joe Scaravella, played by actor-producer Vince Vaughn, his restaurant Enoteca Maria and its staff of nonnas.
    Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The title that has become attached to the painting over time curiously characterizes the Virgin Mary by the fruit, perhaps in recognition of her chastity, especially when considered in the context of Persephone’s myth.
    Demir Alp, JSTOR Daily, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Sure, rum is often identified with the sunny beaches and tropical climate that characterizes most of its places of origin.
    Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Hamnet depicts a fictional account of Shakespeare's life with his young family; Buckley, 35, portrays the Bard's wife Agnes, while Watson plays Mescal's onscreen mother as Mary Shakespeare.
    Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Also, why is arthouse pretty boy Louis Garrel, who portrays the leader of a resistance group known as Breakwalls (That’s seriously their name.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This exhibit recounts that history through artifacts, photographs, first-person accounts, family objects and even sweet treats.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The Reddit post by user Olastun_bee recounts how the office transitioned from modern business casual—polos, cardigans, khakis—to a retro formality overnight.
    Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The agency defines poverty for a family of four as income below $31,000.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Establish Governance To Protect Employee Attention Establish a simple governance system that defines the purpose, cadence and target audience for each internal communications tool and ensure leadership consistently enforces and models the governance.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Wika's engagement illustrates how technology can evolve from being a casual tool to something deeply personal.
    Staff, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • While the problems plaguing humanity — from political strife to poverty to natural disasters — might seem overwhelming, Dorantes said the property’s history illustrates how much the world can actually change.
    Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Toward the end of one documentary, Guy relates a tragic incident in which two démineurs from his team were killed while rearranging a crate of unexploded artillery shells.
    Michael Jerome Plunkett September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Organized in themes like the baby doll and the slip dress, the book relates fashion to culture, and offers a picture of an industry—and a city—that operated at a different pace.
    Vogue Runway, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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