describe
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
The theory uses ideas from statistical mechanics to describe gravity as something that emerges from the microscopic properties of spacetime geometry.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
CoreWeave is often referred to as a “neocloud,” but the company rejects that term because it doesn’t describe what it does, only making the point that it follows an earlier generation of clouds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Commentating on the thrilling climax of this year's Open, there was barely a moment to describe the biggest putt of Ryan Fox's life because he struck it so quickly.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"They can remove the statues, but they can never erase Bogyoke's image," one Yangon resident said, using the Burmese word for general to describe Aung San.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The best I can describe it is that my brain is a trapped badger, and all it’s doing is reacting.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
She describes a child-friendly city as one that is accessible, with active transport and safe affordable housing.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Astronomers may eventually be able to search for signs of these violent stellar mergers, providing a way to test whether Fuller's model accurately describes the final stages of Sun-like stars.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Vice President JD Vance’s insightful 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” describes all manner of white social dysfunction in Appalachia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
She describes a “popular annual cocktail buffet at the Hay Adams Hotel on the rooftop overlooking the White House” on the night of Trump’s UFC cage fight on the White House lawn.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
She describes how hundreds of people lived together in that single structure.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
It has been described as the third-worst outbreak on record by WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The family described Barrios Ventura as a loving mother and said her absence was deeply felt by all who knew her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Entropy is often described as a measure of disorder, although it more precisely reflects how energy and information can be distributed within a system.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The move follows a yearlong investigation by U.S. trade officials into what they described as unfair trade practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
One editor described Kate as “twelve years of age and evidently has no more conception of the rapping than a canary bird.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The difference is that he’s describing the U.K.’s white underclass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Now, that same homestead has been put on the market, with the listing describing the 40-acre property as a “premium” dwelling that offers “a seamless blend of sophisticated architectural design and expansive Montana big-sky privacy.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Zambada’s attorney has sought to paint a more complex portrait of his client, describing him in a sentencing memo as a product of circumstance from a difficult upbringing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Four England players were shown yellow cards after the break, with former scrum-half Matt Dawson describing their discipline as "verging on comical".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Others remember her fondly, describing a delightful, tiny girl that Celia herself does not recall being.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
