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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of describes
The term which gained traction in the 2010s, describes artists whose seemingly overnight success appears manufactured rather than earned.
—
Carly Lewis-Oduntan, refinery29.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Google’s post about this feature describes it as a way to help you tune hearing aids into audio broadcasts, but the technology has wider applications.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 13 Mar. 2025
The future Clark describes isn’t science fiction.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The team describes their findings in a study published on March 10 in the journal Historical Biology.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025
Witness describes Brian Laundrie's behavior 2 weeks before Gabby Petito murder, FBI files reveal.
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2025
The Andy that Ron describes was kind, gracious and diligent.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Kassidy also describes her father as someone who has always been there for her, particularly throughout secondary school.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
The criminal complaint further describes the thieves' modus operandi.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Carly Lewis-Oduntan, refinery29.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Google’s post about this feature describes it as a way to help you tune hearing aids into audio broadcasts, but the technology has wider applications.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 13 Mar. 2025
The future Clark describes isn’t science fiction.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The team describes their findings in a study published on March 10 in the journal Historical Biology.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025
Witness describes Brian Laundrie's behavior 2 weeks before Gabby Petito murder, FBI files reveal.
—Fox News Staff, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2025
The Andy that Ron describes was kind, gracious and diligent.
—John Baldoni, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Kassidy also describes her father as someone who has always been there for her, particularly throughout secondary school.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
The criminal complaint further describes the thieves' modus operandi.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
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The painting in question, Portrait of a Gentleman, his Daughter and a Servant, depicts a father clad in a fashionable black suit with a pleated collar.—
Francesca Aton,
ARTnews.com,
24 Mar. 2025
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The painting, which depicts an African prince, turned out to be a genuine Klimt.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jamie gives him a lethal stare and tells him to go away.—
Lincee Ray,
EW.com,
4 Jan. 2025
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Killers Of The Flower Moon A brilliant, heartbreaking true story, Killers of the Flower Moon tells the story of the Osage people and the greedy men who try to rob them of their wealth after oil is discovered on their tribal lands.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The categorization of personal skill types above only characterizes a person’s knowledge and expertise.—
Ming-Chien Chyu,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon characterizes the university protests as antisemitic harassment against Jewish students, alleging violation of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacramento Bee,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the story never leaves us with a sense that anything is incomplete, as Shear eloquently portrays the ways that near-misses can still feel like cataclysmic life events.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
8 Mar. 2025
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The actress that portrays Vanessa, Lauren Buglioli, has been working steadily since the mid-2010s, with guest appearances on series like FBI and the Dynasty reboot (which also featured Goings), and films like Jessica Lange's The Great Lillian Hall and the horror anthology film Horror Noire.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But that's not the only quality that defines him.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon which is characterized by feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from one's job, and reduced professional efficacy.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The tape illustrates something else.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Some 80 kilometers southeast of Nairobi lies another satellite city project that illustrates just such a cautionary tale.—
Erika Page,
Christian Science Monitor,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which represents wastewater treatment plants, said more than 1,600 utilities already had pretreatment programs in place, though not necessarily for PFAS.—
Hiroko Tabuchi,
New York Times,
27 Dec. 2024
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This bezel has made an appearance in aluminum and ceramic in the intervening years, and still represents the cornerstone look that defines the collection.—
Blake Buettner,
Robb Report,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Over a simple club beat and some brassy horns on the chorus, the rapper narrates a particularly wild night out, all while still maintaining his status as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2025
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The President’s Cake (Iraq, Qatar) by Hasan Hadi narrates the story of nine-year-old Lamia, who must use her wits to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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