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describes

verb

present tense third-person singular of describe
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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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

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 The nonprofit describes itself as Indiana’s first and largest scholarship-granting organization. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026 Appropriated from a John Cale album, the title accurately describes scenes of bloodletting committed by bizarre, scenery-chewing yakuza members, and the energy hovers somewhere around a bloodier-than-baseline Takashi Miike movie from the mid-2000s. — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 Harvie describes the race and his decision to run in almost existential terms. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 Apple describes it as an app for discovering local events, RSVPing and meeting new people. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 MicroNuclear describes the MsNB as cyber-protected, with physical and electromagnetic pulse protection also incorporated into its broader microreactor approach. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 Ian Brennan describes writing the latest season of Monster, about the Lizzie Borden case, as a fever dream. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Haines, 49, describes her own experience somewhat differently. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 Making the film made Wishnow rethink what the function of a critic is, especially in how Christgau describes what the two core totems of criticism are. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
  1. depicts
  2. tells
  3. characterizes
  4. portrays
  5. recounts
  6. defines
  7. illustrates
  8. relates
Verb
  • Lizzie and Bridget having a romantic relationship Monster depicts Lizzie and Bridget as forming a romantic relationship, which starts when Bridget becomes a maid for her family.
    — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The painting by Farmer depicts his father’s basketball team in Missouri.
    — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of depicts
Verb
  • Before dinner, Nathan tells her about the new anchor watch schedule.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • An acquaintance who buys and sells movie props tells them that the boots are worth at least fifteen hundred dollars—a tenfold return on their investment.
    — David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of tells
Verb
  • The same patchwork that characterizes the languages and architecture of the city can also be seen in its class structure.
    — Benjamin Moser, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Foam conjures the fragile sturdiness that characterizes both Hesse’s sculpture and Zambreno’s own vacillation between precarity and privilege.
    — Catherine G. Wagley, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of characterizes
Verb
  • The visual element of her storytelling evocatively portrays America’s vast desertscapes and cityscapes, while bringing the journey to palpable life for teenage readers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Bell stars as heretic priest John Ball, while Garfield portrays a character called Ploughman, a grieving farmer who unintentionally finds himself in a leadership position.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of portrays
Verb
  • In a new book, Charles Spencer recounts the traumatic days after Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In the book, Spencer recounts a call with then-Prince Charles, which eventually became heated.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of recounts
Verb
  • The state law defines such programs as those that develop proficiency in both English and another language by offering instruction in a classroom that is typically a mix of native speakers of English and of the other language.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But there are times when the Eagles must trust that their franchise quarterback will make a play in ways that defy explanation, that somebody who defines himself by winning will make the winning plays.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of defines
Verb
  • If the other jurors’ account of the holdout is accurate, the episode illustrates the other side of jury nullification, a familiar feature of American criminal justice.
    — Monu Bedi, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In its strongest moments, the film illustrates how the often contradictory desires for individual liberation and family connection are universal experiences.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of illustrates
Verb
  • And then Mowbray relates some personal evidence of what has not changed — Middlesbrough’s attachment to football.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Musk’s father, Errol Musk, is interviewed in the film and relates a telling incident in which the family drove by the scene of a man who was being resuscitated by the side of the road.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of relates

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Cite this Entry

“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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