description
American
noun
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a statement or account that describes; representation in words
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the act, process, or technique of describing
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sort, kind, or variety
reptiles of every description
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geometry the act of drawing a line or figure, such as an arc
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philosophy a noun phrase containing a predicate that may replace a name as the subject of a sentence
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of description
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English descripcioun, from Latin dēscrīptiōn-, stem of dēscrīptiō, from dēscrīpt(us) “described” (past participle of dēscrībere “to copy, draw, transcribe”; see describe) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A description puts something in words, like a portrait puts a person in paint. The lawnmower you came home with did not quite fit the description of the dishwasher you went shopping for. The root for description is the Latin word descriptio, meaning “to write down.” The “script” in description tells you that a good description makes what it describes come to life, like a script for a movie. Your description of that fudge almond swirl ice cream was so good I could taste it! Unfortunately, I'm allergic to nuts.
Vocabulary lists containing description
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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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:
Keeping calm under pressure comes with the job description, but there's a sense it's what's expected from fans and team-mates.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The Maryland team also used a hybrid quantum system, but their experiment focused on simulating the Yukawa potential, a mathematical description of an interaction relevant to nuclear and particle physics.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
“From its elevated vantage point, the Pacific becomes an ever-changing backdrop, glowing at sunrise, sparkling throughout the day, and transforming beneath spectacular sunsets,” the description continues.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
It’s a story I’ve repeatedly told over my decades-long journalism career, and no one has yet challenged my description of my grandmother as an immigrant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Do the notes offer a description of the culture, values, customs, historical, geographic, and economic issues that may add to an understanding of the music?
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
One group read brief descriptions of artificial agents that showed different levels of responsiveness to their environments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
"After all, AI is trained to act and speak like a human, so these descriptions seem natural."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
“They want details, they want fast-moving action, they want definitive and explicit descriptions of what’s going on.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
As professional spinners of reputation and reshapers of meaning, marketers have long created newfangled jobs or pithy descriptions to slot their work into the zeitgeist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
An illustrated version of Lucretia's image appeared in the press with descriptions of her as a "self-sacrificing wife" and admirable mother and friend.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
