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 Saronic’s website describes the Corsair as being capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds over 1,000 nautical miles, with a top speed surpassing 34 knots. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026 This notion is often reflected in the way someone describes their home, Gutowski notes. Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 9 June 2026 The Execution Crisis Defined Rasmus Holst, CEO of Zensai, describes it without euphemism. Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 9 June 2026 No longer a niche hobby, the paper describes circular practices are a growing part of how consumers navigate everyday economic pressures. Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 June 2026 The primary suite is set apart for privacy and includes a spa-style bath; the property website describes terrazzo floors made of crushed marble and tumbled sea glass. David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2026 The addition describes a figure-eight across two ponds fed by local streams, and adds a new entry to the museum from the north. Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026 The company describes it as a companion that can encourage better habits. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026 The summary endorses rather than describes. Jamie Cole, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
  • The coarser shades of red and orange, illuminated by the setting sun on the western portals, color the side of the basilica that depicts Christ’s Passion.
    Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
  • Some credit must be given for the relationship between this away shirt and the home, which featured the stripes from the American flag, whereas this one depicts the stars.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Sam McDowell tells us how one dinner 20 years ago with Illig, Neal Patterson and Lamar Hunt changed the future of soccer in Kansas City.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
  • Make Way for Ducklings, the iconic children’s book by Robert McCloskey, tells the story of a family of ducks that make a home in the garden’s lagoon.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The network characterizes the request for edits as something that should be happening in the newsroom.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 June 2026
  • Near the end of the play, Majok’s script becomes, like Mann’s score, flatter and broader in its messaging, losing some of its sharpness of observation, and the humor that characterizes Kaysen’s memoir fades.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2026
Verb
  • Mitre’s film portrays the birth of a civil resistance movement and the state’s infiltration operation designed to destroy it.
    Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 June 2026
  • Depicting her friendship with the trans actress Candy Darling (a sensitive turn by Stephen Dorff), the story portrays how Solanis came to write her notorious SCUM Manifesto (an acronym for the Society for Cutting Up Men) and the spiral of rejection that led to her desperate act of violence.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The 12-year-old actor recounts bonding with costar Colman Domingo and winning $50 off of director Antoine Fuqua.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
  • With stark imagery and clear-eyed anger, Lorde recounts a violent racist encounter on the street, exposing the enduring psychological wounds of racial oppression and misogyny.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • The law defines rodeos as spectator events that include bareback and saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, or any other event or activity that involves physically taking down an animal, roping an animal, or attempting to ride a bucking animal.
    Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
  • Advertisement Longevity is a theme that runs through our story on James—and one that defines its author too.
    Sam Jacobs, Time, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • The Liability Has Moved To You Holland & Knight’s review of the decision on downstream risk illustrates how the use of these tools could become tangible.
    TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
  • On the civil side, even one of the greatest examples of professional airmanship in history, US Airways Flight 1549, illustrates the limits of human cognitive bandwidth under extreme pressure.
    Tim Burns, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • But by then, Rockmount’s shirts were iconic, Weil relates in his third book about Western apparel and Rockmount.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
  • Silence = Death, the work of the Silence = Death Collective (and not ACT UP, as Avram Finkelstein relates in his interview) became the primary pictorial representation of ACT UP and a rallying slogan for the fight against the disease.
    Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 3 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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