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
And the delineating factor there will be AI’s influence on everything: show writing, editing, temp music, pop music, virtual stars.
—Jim Ryan, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
The institute’s independence was clearly delineated in the law that established it, signed by President Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War.
—Kent Nishimura, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
So the delineating line in our careers is pre-Villains and post-Villains, and that also urged our move to Los Angeles.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
Even the inclusion of delicate fluting, found at the base of glass-and-metal doors delineating the elevator vestibule from the foyer, came from a frieze Kapito had admired on a Manhattan building.
—David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for delineate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jim Ryan, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
The institute’s independence was clearly delineated in the law that established it, signed by President Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War.
—Kent Nishimura, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
So the delineating line in our careers is pre-Villains and post-Villains, and that also urged our move to Los Angeles.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025
Even the inclusion of delicate fluting, found at the base of glass-and-metal doors delineating the elevator vestibule from the foyer, came from a frieze Kapito had admired on a Manhattan building.
—David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for delineate
Cite this Entry
“Delineate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delineate. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share