as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
he limned the scene in the courtroom so perfectly I could practically see it
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Recent Examples of limn
The adjacent desperations of the Emory family are meant to limn the material and psychological effects of living under the threat of anti-Blackness in America.
—
Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2021
Nonetheless, Democrats want to be perceived as favoring virtually universal suffrage, and to limn their conservative and Republican opposition as favoring vote suppression.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 3 Nov. 2020
Her poems, which have appeared in The New Yorker for over thirty years, limn the legacies of history, in her home country and beyond, and reckon especially with the repression of women’s accomplishments, realities, and inner lives.
—Hannah Aizenman, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2020
Also stuffed not inelegantly between the microcosmic doings are several larger incidents that limn the bloody and brutal history of the two centuries, including South American totalitarianism, European pogroms and the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.
—Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for limn
Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2021
Nonetheless, Democrats want to be perceived as favoring virtually universal suffrage, and to limn their conservative and Republican opposition as favoring vote suppression.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 3 Nov. 2020
Her poems, which have appeared in The New Yorker for over thirty years, limn the legacies of history, in her home country and beyond, and reckon especially with the repression of women’s accomplishments, realities, and inner lives.
—Hannah Aizenman, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2020
Also stuffed not inelegantly between the microcosmic doings are several larger incidents that limn the bloody and brutal history of the two centuries, including South American totalitarianism, European pogroms and the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.
—Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for limn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limn
Verb
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The post described troops working behind the scenes in police offices, and conducting traffic management and manning perimeters around crime scenes when necessary.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
17 Aug. 2025
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At least seven students at a Park Hill School District middle school described uncomfortable interactions with Washington to Platte County Sheriff’s Office detectives, court records show.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His work, in turn, was a bronze version of a colorful fountain made of cement, also depicting the three kneeling women, and which, from 1931 to 1965, had been on display at the center of Morelia.—
Eric Adler
August 17,
Kansas City Star,
17 Aug. 2025
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Meta’s guidelines declared that depicting adults, including the elderly, receiving punches or kicks was acceptable.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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South Park went after Homeland Security on its social media pages and made Vice President JD Vance a key target in the latest episode, portraying him toddler-sized next to Trump.—
Joshua Sammons,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
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American leaders and commentators often portrayed international adversaries in unflattering and discursive brushstrokes.—
Time,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Limn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limn. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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