describes

present tense third-person singular of describe
1
2
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?

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 The term describes the conscious decision to avoid or renounce managerial roles in order to preserve mental health, maintain balance and prioritize meaningful work. Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 The neural pathways that Wolf describes, those deep reading circuits built through sustained attention to text, are the same ones that enable complex reasoning, empathy, and the kind of patient thinking that democracy requires. Jessica Ewing september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025 Despite having no food to eat on certain days, Nani nevertheless describes his childhood as a happy one. Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025 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 Standard Model of elementary particles describes the electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces precisely and without fail, while general relativity describes gravitation for all forms of matter and energy. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
  • Vox Dei depicts these 100-year old images in a new light — literally, which is a fitting way to celebrate the centennial of the building, Roberson said.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The real Larry was gay, though the film depicts him as more bisexual.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In short, the new material can be thought of as a smart, rubbery material that tells you when it’s stressed out by literally changing color.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
  • 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, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Davey characterizes the Longbow strategy as flexible.
    James Morris, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • That list also includes a display at the National Museum of the American Latino that White House officials felt inaccurately portrays the Texas revolution as a defense of slavery, not a war of independence from Mexico.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Blythe Danner, who portrays De Niro's onscreen wife Dina in the films, will reprise her role in the new movie, as will Polo, 56.
    Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pankiw in her doc also recounts how Lilith Fair after its first year for its second and third summer festival runs added rap and R&B artists like Missy Elliot, Neneh Cherry and Erykah Badu following criticism over a too-white event.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • In the new two-part Netflix docuseries aka Charlie Sheen, the 60-year-old actor recounts an intervention his family organized under the guise of a 50th birthday party for his father, Martin Sheen.
    Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Sometimes true reinvention requires letting go of assumptions about what defines potential, fairness or even leadership.
    Prithvi Singh Shergill, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The research defines streaming audiences as anyone who watched at least one online video — free or paid — during the past month.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Brazil illustrates both the promise and the tension.
    Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • That illustrates the value of your personal information in the wrong hands.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Swift’s involvement in the legal battle relates, in part, to suggestions from Lively that Baldoni altered a rooftop scene at the beginning of the film.
    Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on describes

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!