describe
Americanverb (used with object)
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describes,
present (3rd person singular)
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described,
past participle, past
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describing
present participle
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to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give an account of.
He described the accident very carefully.
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to pronounce, as by a designating term, phrase, or the like; label.
There are few people who may be described as geniuses.
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to indicate; be a sign of; denote.
Conceit, in many cases, describes a state of serious emotional insecurity.
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to represent or delineate by a picture or figure.
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Geometry. to draw or trace the outline of.
to describe an arc.
verb
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to give an account or representation of in words
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to pronounce or label
he has been described as a genius
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to draw a line or figure, such as a circle
Synonym Usage
Describe, narrate agree in the idea of giving an account of something. To describe is to convey in words the appearance, nature, attributes, etc., of something. The word often implies vividness of personal observation: to describe a scene, an event. To narrate is to recount the occurrence of something, usually by giving the details of an event or events in the order of their happening. Narrate thus applies only to that which happens over time: to narrate an incident.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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describabilitynoun
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describernoun
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undescribablenessnoun
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overdescribeverb (used with object)
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predescribeverb (used with object)
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redescribeverb (used with object)
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describableadjective
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nondescribableadjective
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self-describedadjective
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undescribableadjective
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undescribedadjective
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well-describedadjective
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describablyadverb
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undescribablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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describesimple
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describessimple
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have describedperfect
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has describedperfect
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am describingprogressive
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are describingprogressive
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is describingprogressive
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have been describingperfect progressive
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has been describingperfect progressive
Past
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describedsimple
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had describedperfect
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was describingprogressive
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were describingprogressive
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had been describingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of describe
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English describen, from Latin dēscrībere, equivalent to dē- de- + scrībere “to write”
Explanation
To describe is to report details about something either out loud or in writing. "Since we can't come to Paris with you, please describe it in your letter!" Describe is from the Latin word describere which means "to write down." When you describe something, you're "da" scribe, the person writing things down! Writing teachers love to have students describe, using lots of details using the five senses and figurative language. It doesn't have to be written down, though — you can also describe that gold dress you saw to your friend on the phone. Or you can describe a circle, by sketching it out with a stick in the sand.
Vocabulary lists containing describe
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
In Hadjar's case, the Frenchman suffered what Red Bull describe as a "minor fracture" while doing a boxing exercise which is part of his normal gym routine.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Officials did not describe a motive, what led to the shooting or how investigators decided on Gomez as a suspect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Those criticisms, and the use by the Illinois Policy Institute and Mr. Berg of the word “toxic” to describe CTU, show intent to harm the union, the suit argues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He said it was another "hybrid threat" to emerge in Germany, a term that Berlin uses to describe hostile acts of aggression short of unambiguous military attacks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
I can only describe it as a look full of curiosity, kindness and love.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
The listing describes the seven-bedroom home at 7640 Tobia Way as a “showcase of Santa Barbara-inspired architecture” that is “privately positioned along the bluffs on 8.2 acres.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The paper notes what it describes as a "stark regional divide" in antidepressant use, with the highest number of prescriptions recorded in North Cumbria and South Yorkshire.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
In the chapter titled “Cerium,” Levi describes how, wracked with hunger, he stole iron-cerium rods to make flints for cigarette lighters so that he could exchange them for bread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Bioloon is the result of a public-private partnership launched by Charlotte Melia, an events entrepreneur, who describes herself as environmentally minded.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
The experiment he describes cannot be performed in Cambridge at the beginning of the year: it requires the sun to reach an elevation of 40 degrees above the horizon.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The U.S. launched what it described as an unprecedented campaign to cripple Iran’s economy by cutting off “every remaining lifeline” sustaining the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The 57-year-old was visibly emotional as he described urging the eight detainees to have courage, in a text he had drafted for their lawyers the previous day.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
His fiancée, Brittany Lindsey, had described the 30-year-old deputy as the best guy she ever met.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Daniel's family repeatedly described their coroner as being blunt and brusque, failing to put Daniel at the heart of the process.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
I watched them walk on water plants as Togbe had described.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Deere turned down the counteroffer, describing it as costing the company roughly $500 million more than the company’s extension proposal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Harry's 2023 autobiography, "Spare", lifted the veil on his royal rifts, describing William as his "arch-nemesis" and alleging he physically attacked him in a blazing 2019 row about Meghan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
That’s much more inflammatory language, but it also sounds like what you’re describing.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Earlier in the day, Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said the Russian drones were flying at "extremely low altitudes", describing the attackers as "animals".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He does a good job of describing the various shades of green his sister turned when she got seasick.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
