description
Americannoun
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a statement or account that describes; representation in words
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the act, process, or technique of describing
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sort, kind, or variety
reptiles of every description
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geometry the act of drawing a line or figure, such as an arc
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philosophy a noun phrase containing a predicate that may replace a name as the subject of a sentence
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of description
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English descripcioun, from Latin dēscrīptiōn-, stem of dēscrīptiō, from dēscrīpt(us) “described” (past participle of dēscrībere “to copy, draw, transcribe”; see describe) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A description puts something in words, like a portrait puts a person in paint. The lawnmower you came home with did not quite fit the description of the dishwasher you went shopping for. The root for description is the Latin word descriptio, meaning “to write down.” The “script” in description tells you that a good description makes what it describes come to life, like a script for a movie. Your description of that fudge almond swirl ice cream was so good I could taste it! Unfortunately, I'm allergic to nuts.
Vocabulary lists containing description
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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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:
The possibility that gluons carry baryon number would overturn the standard simplified description found in many textbooks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
“I can’t think of any archetype of man that fits that description more today than capital allocators that put it all on the line every day in the markets.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
My parents assured me that Aunt Bill’s description was every bit as accurate as she was colorful.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
There’s no way to know from your description exactly what you signed, and that’s precisely why it’s never advisable to sign any legal document you haven’t reviewed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
“It seems my family has taken to your description of said wondrous outhouse,” Grandpa Firewood said.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Job seekers are editing their career back-stories as employers pump AI terms into job descriptions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Complete taxonomic descriptions of the genus and its species were published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
All of these descriptions line up with Rogers' strengths.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Because of inconsistent chemical descriptions and names, they argued that it is impossible to know exactly which substances are being compounded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She smiled at Elinor's descriptions, stroking the bindings before she put the books in the bag.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
