described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
describe a picture
The police asked her to describe the thief.
There were so many things he wanted to describe …—
James Joyce
James Joyce2
: to represent by a figure, model, or picture : delineate
described in her paintings what she saw from her window
3
obsolete
: distribute
4
: to trace or traverse the outline of
describe a circle
describer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of describe in a Sentence
The witness wasn't able to describe the robber.
He described the house in perfect detail.
The article describes how the experiment was done.
She described watching dolphins play beside the ship.
Please describe what happened next.
Can you describe the lost dog to me?
She used a stick to describe a circle on the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web
Author John Neihardt described Crazy Horse in his book Black Elk Speaks as a person of great modesty and reserve but who was generous to the poor, elderly, and children.
—Chip Bell, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Men ran off a porch, firing their own guns, as Givens described it to police and in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.
—John Diedrich, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
Al Haw described this isolation as being particularly painful.
—Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 14 Dec. 2024
Director Franco Zeffirelli described her as big in every way — big eyes, big nose, big mouth, big body — and compared her to the Statue of Liberty.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for describe 
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Chip Bell, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Men ran off a porch, firing their own guns, as Givens described it to police and in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.
—John Diedrich, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
Al Haw described this isolation as being particularly painful.
—Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 14 Dec. 2024
Director Franco Zeffirelli described her as big in every way — big eyes, big nose, big mouth, big body — and compared her to the Statue of Liberty.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for describe
Articles Related to describe
Dictionary Entries Near describe
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/describe. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
describe
verb
de·scribe
di-ˈskrīb 
described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
2
: to trace the outline of
describe a circle
describer
noun
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