depict
Americanverb
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to represent by or as by drawing, sculpture, painting, etc; delineate; portray
-
to represent in words; describe
Synonym Usage
Depict, portray, sketch imply a representation of an object or scene by colors or lines, or by words. Depict emphasizes vividness of detail: to depict the confusion of departure. Portray emphasizes faithful representation: We could not portray the anguish of the exiles. Sketch suggests the drawing of the outlines of the most prominent features or details, often in a preparatory way: to sketch the plans for a community development.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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depictsimple
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depictssimple
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have depictedperfect
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has depictedperfect
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am depictingprogressive
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are depictingprogressive
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is depictingprogressive
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have been depictingperfect progressive
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has been depictingperfect progressive
Past
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depictedsimple
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had depictedperfect
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was depictingprogressive
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were depictingprogressive
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had been depictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depict
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin dēpictus (past participle of dēpingere ), equivalent to dē- de- + pic- past participle stem of pingere “to paint” ( see paint) + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you depict something, you draw a picture of it, describe it, or show what it looks like. So grab a crayon, a paint brush, or even an Etch-A-Sketch and start depicting. From the Latin depictus, meaning “to portray, paint, sketch, describe,” depict is a way to communicate what you see. To explain to an alien what a banana is, you can either depict it with drawings, describe it in words, or both. But be careful. Writes author Joyce Maynard, "The painter who feels obligated to depict his subjects as uniformly beautiful or handsome and without flaws will fall short of making art."
Vocabulary lists containing depict
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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ACT Vocabulary List
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STAAR English I: The Language of the Test 1
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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:
Flag patterns that follow a significant trend depict a short-term consolidation of that trend, and are often resolved in the same direction of the trend that followed them.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
Best known is the series of four giant John Trumbull paintings—12 feet by 18 feet—that depict important scenes of the Revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Other than that, this wasn’t the decisive victory that some depict it as.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Singaporean photographer Aik Beng Chia used an image generator to depict the lives of transgender people in the city-state's Bugis street, then known as a red-light district, in the 1970s and 80s.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
They also depict expert performers of high status, including members of royal dynasties and deities.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
That painting depicts Christ on the cross, with a painter standing beneath him dressed in a mauve-pink-and-brown cloak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He took inspiration from paintings, including Alexandre Cabanel’s 1847 work “The Fallen Angel,” which depicts the devil after his fall from heaven.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
One depicts the Buddha scrolling on a smart phone.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
As children, cattle and lambs happily commune with bears, lions and wolves in the foreground, the background depicts William Penn making a treaty with Tamanend, chief of the Lenape Nation, and founding Pennsylvania.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Though difficult to read at first, it depicts Christ at the Last Judgment, when every soul is weighed.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
“As depicted, the comments made in the video do not reflect the views or values of the IAM Union,” the spokesperson said in a statement Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
That is a real social phenomenon, by the way, but nowhere as farcical as it’s depicted here.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
From early in his career, Sarris wanted to depict Indians as he knew them, rather than as Hollywood depicted them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Those videos depicted the creators winning almost $900,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
To keep them on his side, Mark Antony issued a coin in Rome that depicted himself with his eldest son, Antyllus.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
“Drayton and Mackenzie,” Alexander Starritt’s third novel, starts by depicting these two men as they pursue divergent career paths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Click here for a graphic depicting differences and similarities in dementia risk across different countries.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
A Northern California school district is moving to maintain a high school team nickname and mascot as a new state law goes into effect banning the use of derogatory terms depicting Indigenous Americans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The finished product was more like a compilation of shot-for-shot music video and live performance recreations, stitched together with vignettes depicting a tepid version of Jackson’s real, tumultuous life.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
To create a handsome wall hanging depicting our last hours?
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
