describe

verb

de·​scribe di-ˈskrīb How to pronounce describe (audio)
described; describing
Synonyms of describe

transitive verb

1
: to represent or give an account of in words
describe a picture
The police asked her to describe the thief.
The article describes how the experiment was done.
There were so many things he wanted to describe …—James Joyce
2
: 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
5
archaic : observe, perceive
describable
di-ˈskrī-bə-bəl How to pronounce describe (audio)
adjective
describer noun

Synonyms of describe

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
Ganfield described the ordeal as a scene straight out of a horror movie. — Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 The one HalluSquatting exploits is described as being self-referential. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 In a staff report describing the proposal, city officials said the user fees would simply allow the city to recover its costs for enforcing wage laws and helping businesses understand those laws and how to comply with them. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026 People who knew Salgado Araujo described him as dependable and kind, according to a GoFundMe for his family. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for describe

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin describere, from de- + scribere to write — more at scribe

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of describe was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing describe

Rhymes for describe

See All Rhymes for describe

Browse Nearby Words

describable
describe
describer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/describe. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

describe

verb
de·​scribe di-ˈskrīb How to pronounce describe (audio)
described; describing
1
: to represent or give an account of in words
2
: to trace the outline of
describe a circle
describable
-ˈskrī-bə-bəl How to pronounce describe (audio)
adjective
describer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on describe

Nglish: Translation of describe for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All