verb
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to represent by or as by drawing, sculpture, painting, etc; delineate; portray
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to represent in words; describe
Related Words
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
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.
Ms. Horn takes trouble to depict Kay as an individual rather than a handmaiden.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Current US passports depict multiple scenes from the country's history such as the Moon landing along with historic sites including the Statue of Liberty.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
The memes often depict people buried under computer monitors, or reframing mundane tasks like watching the news, spying on neighbors and working in an office as monitoring the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
“Split-screen” canvases depict civic landmarks — City Hall, the courthouse, a high school and the local library — in two temporal states.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“I’m not trying to fight you with my writing. I’ve no political ambitions. I’m not trying to hurt or help any particular comrade. You must believe that. I’m trying to depict Negro life.”
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
