delineate
verb
de·lin·eate
di-ˈli-nē-ˌāt 
dē-
delineated; delineating
1
2
a
: to indicate or represent by drawn or painted lines
b
: to mark the outline of
lights delineating the narrow streets
Examples of delineate in a Sentence
He plants his skates millimeters outside the blue-tinted 44-square-foot arena that delineates the crease and refuses to budge …
—
Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 21 May 2007
Screenwriter Christopher Hampton introduces a large gallery of characters, subtly delineating the unspoken class biases that will keep Robbie, for all his confidence, charm and Cambridge education, an outsider.
—David Ansen, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2007
So Madrid finally ordered Onís to cut the best deal he could. The resulting Transcontinental (or Adams-Onís) Treaty of 1819 ceded Florida to the United States and delineated the boundary between American and Spanish territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean …
—Walter A. McDougall, Promised Land, Crusader State, 1997
Privacy plays a unique role in American law. Although considered a core value by most citizens, it is not explicitly delineated as a protected right by the U.S. Constitution.
—Edward A. Cavazos et al., Cyberspace and the Law, 1994
The report clearly delineates the steps that must be taken.
The characters in the story were carefully delineated.
Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 21 May 2007
Screenwriter Christopher Hampton introduces a large gallery of characters, subtly delineating the unspoken class biases that will keep Robbie, for all his confidence, charm and Cambridge education, an outsider.
—David Ansen, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2007
So Madrid finally ordered Onís to cut the best deal he could. The resulting Transcontinental (or Adams-Onís) Treaty of 1819 ceded Florida to the United States and delineated the boundary between American and Spanish territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean …
—Walter A. McDougall, Promised Land, Crusader State, 1997
Privacy plays a unique role in American law. Although considered a core value by most citizens, it is not explicitly delineated as a protected right by the U.S. Constitution.
—Edward A. Cavazos et al., Cyberspace and the Law, 1994
The report clearly delineates the steps that must be taken.
The characters in the story were carefully delineated.
Recent Examples on the Web
That was an era which came to define the NBA for a period, but the narrative was one that often delineated along racial lines, by pitting a Black man and White man against each other.
—Johannes Sasay-Wada and Amanda Davies, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
That would delineate potential ridership, revenue, number of trips, project costs and more.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 8 Dec. 2024
When a recall is made by the FDA, risk classifications are used to delineate the seriousness of the risk to the public.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
To get the effect, place your fingers in an L-shape at the cheekbone-with the index finger positioned along the hairline toward the temple and the thumb on the cheek to delineate the exact application area using powder blush.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for delineate 
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Johannes Sasay-Wada and Amanda Davies, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
That would delineate potential ridership, revenue, number of trips, project costs and more.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 8 Dec. 2024
When a recall is made by the FDA, risk classifications are used to delineate the seriousness of the risk to the public.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
To get the effect, place your fingers in an L-shape at the cheekbone-with the index finger positioned along the hairline toward the temple and the thumb on the cheek to delineate the exact application area using powder blush.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for delineate
Dictionary Entries Near delineate
Cite this Entry
“Delineate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delineate. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
delineate
verb
de·lin·eate
di-ˈlin-ē-ˌāt
delineated; delineating
1
: to indicate by lines : sketch
2
: to describe in sharp or vivid detail
delineate the characters in a story
delineation
noun
-ˌlin-ē-ˈā-shən
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