describe

[dih-skrahyb]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR describe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·scribed, de·scrib·ing.

to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give an account of: He described the accident very carefully.

to pronounce, as by a designating term, phrase, or the like; label: There are few people who may be described as geniuses.

to indicate; be a sign of; denote: Conceit, in many cases, describes a state of serious emotional insecurity.

to represent or delineate by a picture or figure.

Geometry. to draw or trace the outline of: to describe an arc.

Origin of describe

1400–50; late Middle English describen < Latin dēscrībere, equivalent to dē- de- + scrībere to write

Related formsde·scrib·a·ble, adjectivede·scrib·a·bil·i·ty, nounde·scrib·a·bly, adverbde·scrib·er, nounnon·de·scrib·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·de·scribe, verb (used with object), o·ver·de·scribed, o·ver·de·scrib·ing.pre·de·scribe, verb (used with object), pre·de·scribed, pre·de·scrib·ing.re·de·scribe, verb (used with object), re·de·scribed, re·de·scrib·ing.self-de·scribed, adjectiveun·de·scrib·a·ble, adjectiveun·de·scrib·a·ble·ness, nounun·de·scrib·a·bly, adverbun·de·scribed, adjectivewell-de·scribed, adjective

Synonyms for describe

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR describe ON THESAURUS.COM

1. portray, characterize, represent; recount, tell, relate.

Synonym study

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for describe

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

Examples from the Web for describe

Contemporary Examples of describe

It is not only clerics and Islamic ideologues who use offensive words and images to describe the sexual life of Westerners.
50 Shades of Iran: The Mullahs’ Kinky Fantasies about Sex in the West
IranWire, Shima Sharabi
January 1, 2015
The latest novel from Samantha Harvey is truly superb, but left its reviewer at a loss for how to describe it.
A Novel Nearly Impossible to Review
Nicholas Mancusi
December 28, 2014
But throughout all this, Malone describe herself as “oddly responsible,” wanting to help her moms pay the bills as young as 10.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom
Marlow Stern
December 22, 2014
I asked him to describe the U.S. mission that will likely revert back to the embassy it was more than a half century ago.
Meet America’s Next Ambassador to Cuba
Eleanor Clift
December 18, 2014
Will Christian pharmacists, county clerks, florists, and for-profit wedding chapels really withdraw from society, as you describe?
Do LGBTs Owe Christians an Olive Branch? Try The Other Way Around
Jay Michaelson
December 14, 2014

Historical Examples of describe

"Better not try to describe her—while I'm by, you know," said Mrs. Drelmer, sympathetically.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
But how shall I describe his face when major Marvel entered!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Describe the preparation of oranges for salads and desserts.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
(b) Describe the filling and closing of jars in this method.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
I should like to describe that evening; but it is really worse to describe than the boys.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for describe

describe

verb (tr)

to give an account or representation of in words

to pronounce or labelhe has been described as a genius

to draw a line or figure, such as a circle

Derived Formsdescribable, adjectivedescriber, noun

Word Origin for describe

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for describe

early 13c., descriven, from Old French descrivre, descrire (13c.), from Latin describere "to write down, copy; sketch, represent" (see description). Reconstructed with Latin spelling 16c. Related: Describable; described, describes, describing.