describe

[dih-skrahyb]

verb (used with object)

described, describing 

1. to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give an account of.

   He described the accident very carefully.

   Synonyms: relate, tell, recount, represent, characterize, portray

2. to pronounce, as by a designating term, phrase, or the like; label.

   There are few people who may be described as geniuses.

3. to indicate; be a sign of; denote.

   Conceit, in many cases, describes a state of serious emotional insecurity.

4. to represent or delineate by a picture or figure.

5. Geometry.,  to draw or trace the outline of.

   to describe an arc.

describe

/ dɪˈskraɪb /

verb

1. to give an account or representation of in words

2. to pronounce or label

   he has been described as a genius

3. to draw a line or figure, such as a circle

Other Word Forms

• describable adjective
• describability noun
• describably adverb
• describer noun
• nondescribable adjective
• overdescribe verb (used with object)
• predescribe verb (used with object)
• redescribe verb (used with object)
• self-described adjective
• undescribable adjective
• undescribableness noun
• undescribably adverb
• undescribed adjective
• well-described adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of describe¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English describen, from Latin dēscrībere, equivalent to dē- de- + scrībere “to write”

Word History and Origins

Origin of describe¹

C15: from Latin dēscrībere to copy off, write out, delineate, from _de- + scrībere to write

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Research described in ACS Engineering Au outlines a way to preserve the powerful compounds extracted from beet leaves for use in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Read more on Science Daily

Scientists have long explained the source of this protective force through the dynamo theory, which describes how motion within Earth's liquid metal core creates magnetism.

Read more on Science Daily

Different lipid-lowering mechanisms The study also found that each drug works by different mechanisms and describes, for the first time, the key role of the PCK1 protein in telmisartan-derived hepatic lipid lowering.

Read more on Science Daily

The first minister said Scotland had to consider if was going to accept "more of this" as well as what he described as a "shift to the right" in UK politics.

Read more on BBC

As Israeli forces advanced on Gaza City to confront what they described as the last major Hamas stronghold in the strip, Al-Quds was sprayed by gunfire and rocked by bombs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• call 
• characterize 
• chronicle 
• construe 
• define 
• depict 
• detail 
• express 
• illustrate 
• interpret 
• label 
• name 
• outline 
• portray 
• recount 
• report 
• represent 
• specify 
• tell 
• term