1
as in to depict
to give a representation or account of in words
he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to tell
to give an oral or written account of in some detail
a biography of Washington that describes the decisive Battle of Yorktown at great length
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of describe
Nordquist’s mother, Linda, described her son as a man with a romantic heart and told Syracuse.com that Nordquist left home to pursue a romantic relationship.
—
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
The untitled movie is described as an original event film created and helmed by the iconic director.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2025
Neal Bluestein, Boca Raton Shameful mass deportations The new administration’s brutal deportation plan is appalling and heartbreaking in too many ways to describe.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
She is described as White, standing 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 186 lbs.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for describe 
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2025
The untitled movie is described as an original event film created and helmed by the iconic director.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2025
Neal Bluestein, Boca Raton Shameful mass deportations The new administration’s brutal deportation plan is appalling and heartbreaking in too many ways to describe.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
She is described as White, standing 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 186 lbs.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for describe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describe
Verb
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His film, a sweeping three-and-a-half-hour-long epic that depicts fictional architect László Tóth, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor starting over in the United States, has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
18 Feb. 2025
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Each player has a character card depicting a real person at the Capitol on that day.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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King, who’s been selling appliances at Abt Electronics in Glenview for about 21 years, was seeking guidance about what to tell customers worried about tariffs.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
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This year’s discussion will concentrate on bringing out the stories of our community told by our neighbors, friends and families.—
Sam Ouk,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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History of safety concerns Prosecutors and defense characterized the mother-son relationship as tumultuous, with law enforcement being called for domestic violence in November 2023, leading to the son’s arrest, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2025
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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized the Israeli plan.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The many actors who have portrayed the character on screen include Alan Rickman, Ben Mendelsohn and Matthew Macfadyen.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
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But Bill Nye, former Science Guy and current C.E.O. of the Planetary Society, has portrayed the dream of Mars colonization as a dangerous delusion.—
Dhruv Khullar,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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During the sketch, Thompson called out the fact that Darius and Murphy's Morgan, who wore a shimmery red jacket and a comically large gold medallion, seemed like they might be related.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The 2025 summit in Paris, governments and AI companies agreed at the time, would be the place to define red-lines for AI: risk thresholds that would require mitigations at the international level.—
Billy Perrigo/Paris,
TIME,
11 Feb. 2025
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All of that information goes into the agency’s computers, which process the data to begin defining what’s going on in different parts of the atmosphere.—
Christine Wiedinmyer,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s approach to Greenland illustrates a key principle of effective statecraft: leveraging rhetoric to influence allies and adversaries alike.—
Ryan P. Burke,
Orlando Sentinel,
14 Feb. 2025
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Both locations seek to illustrate the connection between professional work and nature.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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From the Super Bowl in New Orleans, former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman recounted the handwritten letter McCaskey sent him in the late 2000s as his infant daughter, Tiana, prepared for a heart transplant.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
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Another recounted how a sergeant had called him the n-word.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describe. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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