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:
And where his colleagues describe a trade-off, at least in the short run, between fighting inflation and protecting jobs, Warsh denies there is one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Saar’s assemblage doesn’t just describe history,” wrote former Times art critic Christopher Knight of her work in 2019, “it embodies a visceral connection to it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The researchers describe vertebrate eyes as the product of an unusual evolutionary detour.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
"You was the kindest person I knew with a heart of gold. Do anything for anyone. Loved by everyone who met you. I can't describe how much I will miss you."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Wrestling, yes. That’s a good way to describe it.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The researchers could also change the direction of that current by rotating the polarization of the two optical fields, which describes the direction in which the light waves oscillate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 33-year-old cartoonist Smiling Stone Hwang now lives what she describes as a resilient life, after she was saved by first responders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Nearby, a handmade chandelier by artist Helen Stickler, decorated with vintage Swarovski crystals and beads, adds to what Weger describes as her “Candyland vibe.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Greeks who might have led decent lives tending their own crops and flocks were pillaging those of others, becoming in aggregate what Mr. O’Connell describes as “a near-perfect predator.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The recorded history of China’s Zhou Dynasty, from 1100 to 221 B.C., describes the conquest and absorption of most of China’s non-Chinese-speaking population by Chinese-speaking states.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
U.S. officials described that regulatory ruling as a new trade barrier Canada was looking to impose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
She has also published her story – described as "remarkable" by oncologists and other cancer survivors – in a book.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
McCovey described Prairie Creek as key habitat for coho salmon, which are federally protected in this portion of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Boeing described certification efforts for new 737 MAX and 777 planes as on track with US air regulators.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Dodos, as you know, are extinct; therefore, this rather gloomy phrase means that the thing being described is not merely dead.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A paper describing the results, led by Stein, was published on July 27 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I discovered that he was still in there almost two years after we'd had the funeral," she said, describing the discovery as "distressing".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
All-conquering Pogacar raised the idea that his remarkable reality is proving stranger than fiction, describing it as "something you wouldn't even maybe write in a story book".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The plaintiffs asked the court to declare the surveillance policy unlawful, vacate it and prohibit Homeland Security from continuing to collect and maintain records describing individuals’ protected First Amendment activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
With Duke Valentino as his instrument and the French invasion as his opportunity, he achieved all those things that I discussed earlier in describing the actions of the Duke.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
