1
as in depicting
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 telling
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 characterizing
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
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Recent Examples of describing
The Operational Command of the Armed Forces released a statement on Wednesday morning, describing the deployment as preventive and focused on protecting Polish airspace and citizens.
—
Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Though the terms may often be used in similar contexts and share some overlap — Hispanic and Latino possess distinct meanings and represent different ways of describing people.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 2 Sep. 2025
That film was made in the Italian maestro’s signature style, which was too lush and epic to capture the novel’s sense of solitude and abandon, its harsh inner voice describing a cruel and sometimes beautiful world.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Four Petal Flowers Ornamental Textile At the time of restoration, there were no records describing the production process for the ornamental textiles with their pattern of four petal flowers.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Stafford discussed the incident with The Times over the weekend, describing the rapper’s breakdown as the price of fame.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
This came after Valeria's mother, Liliana, prayed to Carlo and traveled to his tomb in Assisi days after her daughter's accident and left a letter describing her plea.
—Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
But beyond noting that the case was closed, the report blacks out all the details describing the event.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Gallagher’s solution is a move that political observers are describing as a long-shot response to the ongoing redistricting fight.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Though the terms may often be used in similar contexts and share some overlap — Hispanic and Latino possess distinct meanings and represent different ways of describing people.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 2 Sep. 2025
That film was made in the Italian maestro’s signature style, which was too lush and epic to capture the novel’s sense of solitude and abandon, its harsh inner voice describing a cruel and sometimes beautiful world.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Four Petal Flowers Ornamental Textile At the time of restoration, there were no records describing the production process for the ornamental textiles with their pattern of four petal flowers.
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Stafford discussed the incident with The Times over the weekend, describing the rapper’s breakdown as the price of fame.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
This came after Valeria's mother, Liliana, prayed to Carlo and traveled to his tomb in Assisi days after her daughter's accident and left a letter describing her plea.
—Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
But beyond noting that the case was closed, the report blacks out all the details describing the event.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Gallagher’s solution is a move that political observers are describing as a long-shot response to the ongoing redistricting fight.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describing
Verb
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For last weekend’s season-opening slate of games, several Texas college football teams sported ribbons of their own, in the form of a special decal on players’ helmets depicting an outline of the state of Texas with a green bow at its center.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
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The portrait museum has a dizzying array of galleries depicting everything from Old Hollywood to 17th-century Indigenous Americans.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rare was the big public event in which none of the bold names were telling red-carpet interlocutors that were wearing Armani.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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And in this fragile economy—rife with tariffs, skyrocketing living costs, and a looming recession—there’s no telling how one’s financial situation can change on a dime.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
26 Aug. 2025
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Perplexity, however, pushed back, denying the accusations and characterizing the incident as a misunderstanding of its technology.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the film — her first since portraying opera diva Maria Callas in last year’s Maria — the Oscar winner, 50, stars as Maxine, an American film director hired to make a video for a Paris fashion event amid being diagnosed with breast cancer and navigating a divorce.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The museum's mission is to tell America's story by portraying people who shaped its history and culture.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During closing arguments, prosecutor Bronwyn Nayci emphasized how Ramos-Aviles abused children for years — recounting the girls’ testimonies.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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Eli McCann, 41, (@eliwmccann) posted a clip on TikTok, recounting a moment from several years ago when his then 5-year-old niece was exploring his house and wandered into his bedroom.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Impact of 'Bluey' There's no doubt that Bluey is one of those shows that's defining our current era.—
De Elizabeth,
Parents,
3 Sep. 2025
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The company has positioned itself to revive theatrical Hindi-language cinema through genre-defining storytelling.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The temperature has to be so low that atoms emit no infrared radiation, rendering traditional thermal imaging ineffective.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
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The gamble backfired, with the LDP losing seats in parliament and rendering it unable to form a majority government even with its coalition partners.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Without active practice relating in new ways to one another, team members’ mere understanding of each others’ preferences and leanings is rarely effective.—
Rebecca Fraser-Thill,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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In a statement, a lawyer for Ortiz said his client’s guilty plea was highly tailored, relating only to his transactions with Pérez in the context of concert performances.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Describing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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