delineate
Americanverb (used with object)
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delineates,
present (3rd person singular)
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delineated,
past participle, past
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delineating
present participle
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to trace the outline of; sketch or trace in outline; represent pictorially.
He delineated the state of Texas on the map with a red pencil.
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to portray in words; describe or outline with precision.
In her speech she delineated the city plan with great care.
verb
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to trace the shape or outline of; sketch
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to represent pictorially, as by making a chart or diagram; depict
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to portray in words, esp with detail and precision; describe
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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delineationnoun
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predelineateverb (used with object)
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delineableadjective
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delineativeadjective
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undelineableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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delineatesimple
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delineatessimple
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have delineatedperfect
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has delineatedperfect
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am delineatingprogressive
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are delineatingprogressive
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is delineatingprogressive
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have been delineatingperfect progressive
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has been delineatingperfect progressive
Past
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delineatedsimple
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had delineatedperfect
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was delineatingprogressive
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were delineatingprogressive
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had been delineatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of delineate
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin dēlīneātus, equivalent to dē- de- + līneātus lineate
Explanation
Though you pronounce it duh-LIN-ee-ate, there is a "line" in the middle of delineate. This might help you remember that to delineate is to outline and define something in detail or with an actual marking of lines and boundaries. When you create an outline for a paper it usually summarizes what you will detail later. You delineate the sections, or mark the heading lines, and when you write the details, you delineate the subject of each heading. So, to delineate is both to mark lines and to fill in the lines. Using a fence to divide properties or a carpet to claim your side of the bedroom also is a way to delineate, or mark, physical boundaries.
Vocabulary lists containing delineate
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Frankenstein
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They are the unwritten rules that delineate who is trying to look the part, who wants to stand out and how everyone balances professionalism with self-expression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Parenting is such a remarkably simple way to delineate the difference between concept and exercise.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
I really wanted to delineate that these aren’t who you are.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Among other provisions, the bill would delineate when crypto markets are subject to securities regulation, likely placing most of the industry under the purview of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
“But not now. We’re satisfied ourselves that it will delineate the Nexus-6 types and we’d like you to proceed on that basis in your own particular, peculiar work.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
On Wednesday, Anthropic announced a new “services track” for the partner network, describing it as a “tiered structure” that delineates how much effort a partner has put toward its Anthropic business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
But the bill also delineates a number of “excepted purchases” that enable investors to continue buying homes without penalty.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
Since marriage is a milestone that often delineates youth from adulthood, a logical question is how this delay affects retirement saving.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 23, 2026
The paper is titled "A combined genomic arrhythmia propensity score delineates cumulative risk."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
But it also delineates a limit, a warning, an outer boundary of sobriety.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Pentagon chief said the move was also aimed at ensuring US "access, basing and overflight are clearly delineated and assured" after some European imposed restrictions on US forces during the Iran war.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Bezos has been more traditional, more delineated, like the crisp documents he famously wanted for discussions at Amazon’s meetings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
The front of the coin will feature Trump in profile, with his trademark 1967 Las Vegas lounge act hairstyle delineated in fine detail.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2025
Anyone that investigates this will find that the risks and benefits are already delineated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2025
For the next two hours we ascended an incline pitched as gently as a beginner’s ski slope, eventually arriving at the bergschrund that delineated the Khumbu Glacier’s upper end.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
He and the large L.A.-based produce company have dueling legal complaints over a contract delineating how the fruit was to be marketed and sold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
The care the Framers took in delineating this irreversible presidential power—requiring the president’s personal involvement, and limiting it to certain federal criminal matters—is telling.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
The related documents have provided the biggest tranche of information about the case thus far, delineating key details in the ongoing investigation, which has been shrouded in secrecy.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
Katie Smye, a researcher at the Bureau of Economic Geology, said there are areas of the Permian where injecting wastewater can be done safely and the industry must put more work into delineating these zones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
The prints, not noticeable to the naked eye, registered on film; indeed, the delineating glare of a flashbulb had revealed their presence with superb exactness.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
