definitions

describe

[ dih-skrahyb ]
/ dɪˈskraɪb /
||

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.

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Nearby words

deschool, deschutes, descloizite, descramble, descrambler, describe, description, descriptive, descriptive bibliography, descriptive cataloging, descriptive clause

Origin of describe

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

SYNONYMS FOR describe

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

Related forms

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

Examples from the Web for well-described

  • This condition has been well-described by various novelists, among them Zola, in Money.

    Essay on the Creative Imagination|Th. Ribot

  • It was merely the task of locating a well-described stranger in a comparatively small city.

    Uncle Sam Detective|William Atherton Du Puy

  • The story is capitally told, it abounds in graphic and well-described scenes, and it has an excellent and manly tone throughout.

    The Dash for Khartoum|George Alfred Henty

British Dictionary definitions for well-described (1 of 2)

well-described

adjective (well described when postpositive)

(of a scene, picture, incident, etc) having been skillfully represented or expressed in words

British Dictionary definitions for well-described (2 of 2)

describe

/ (dɪˈskraɪb) /

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 Forms

describable, 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