depict
Americanverb
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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
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.
It raises questions of structural integrity: When you depict a character like her as the antagonist of a show’s very likable heroine, you cannot then treat that antagonist as a heroine herself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Reform leader Nigel Farage has called on X to act over a series of fake, AI-generated adverts which depict him fighting Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Trump’s Truth Social account has increasingly become a collection of posts that document not only political messaging, but also the ways he and his supporters choose to depict him.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
But when it comes to ads that depict Pratt as Batman or Luke Skywalker, he said, “if you don’t know that they’re AI generated, you’re pretty clueless to begin with.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The colorful panes depict a much more muscular Tano doing regular things like eating dinner, taking a walk, and stretching.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
