descry

[dih-skrahy]

verb (used with object)

descried, descrying 

1. to see (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully; discern; espy.

   The lookout descried land.

   Synonyms: notice

2. to discover; ascertain; detect.

descry

/ dɪˈskraɪ /

verb

1. to discern or make out; catch sight of

2. to discover by looking carefully; detect

Other Word Forms

• descrier noun
• undescried adjective
• undescrying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of descry¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English descrien, from Old French de(s)crïer “to proclaim, decry”; dis- ¹, cry

Word History and Origins

Origin of descry¹

C14: from Old French descrier to proclaim, _decry

Example Sentences

The president descried protesters as leftists pursuing a “foreign invasion” of the United States, bent on destroying the nation’s sovereignty.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Barnum, America has evolved into a world in which there is “no business but show business,” descrying the descent of politics into mere performance spectacle.

Read more on Salon

Once the employer of 500 people, the mill is a keyhole through which most of Dundee’s history can be descried.

Read more on Washington Post

The six and twentieth day of April, about four o’clock in the morning, we descried the land of Virginia.

Read more on Literature

Another witness descried their relationship as being "more like mother and daughter".

Read more on BBC