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:
Warsh added that he would be “hard-pressed” to describe broad financial conditions as restrictive — meaning interest rates weren’t high enough to slow economic growth.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Lucas Malinowski, CEO of the Global Automakers of Canada Association, which represents companies like Honda, Toyota and Lexus, said he would describe the leaders his group represents as “frustrated” with the trade environment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The findings also highlight how difficult it can be to identify and describe the behavior of quantum materials.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
While the official line in the current climate is that efficiencies have to be made, unions describe the move more like cuts.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
I blushed to my hair roots to hear Pickwick describe me as “the head of an operation here in this city.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The reader thus misses the ability to see what Muratov painstakingly describes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The researchers examined how human activity affected both the physical area used by each animal and its environmental niche, which describes how an animal uses habitats and resources.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Anderson said he appreciated the veterinary staff who tended to Samba, the feline he describes as one of his kids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Founded in 2016 in New York by three French entrepreneurs, Hugging Face -- whose name is inspired by an emoji -- describes itself as "the AI community building the future."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
In the dialogues he wrote he describes himself as mixing with the elite of English society, but he later claimed this was fiction not fact.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
She described her husband as a "true gentleman", who was kind and patient with a positive outlook on life.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Mr. Cogger had published his volume of the “Zoological Catalogue of Australia,” meant to contain every described species on the continent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
On Thursday, he wept as he described his frantic calls to missing devotees, in a video message posted from Tibet to his several million followers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
He described a conversation with a constituent who asked for help getting an address for an RV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
I nodded glumly, then described the events at lunch today: the way Oliver had waved me over; Rachel embarrassing me in front of everyone; the expulsion from my new lunch table.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Royal observers say he was down-to-earth, respected and beloved, describing him as a "grandfather" of the nation and the "People's king" - a title also used by his father King Olav V.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The researchers developed a new mathematical model describing how these glaciers grow.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Teaching the ethics of AI is “absolutely essential,” Johnson said, describing how every student must take a semester-long course on ethics, which is also folded into other major courses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Earlier this week, PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said the circuit was dismayed by the advert, describing Good Good's initial handling of the controversy as "disappointing."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
A forced letter, trying to amuse, describing my fellow passengers.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
