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
Relevance
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
The first three have to do with the yield curve, which describes the structure of interest rates (yields) in the Treasury market.
—
George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Nancy Preis, Opera in the Ozarks general director, will describe the new, state-of-the-art theater built with funds from the Walton Family Foundation at Inspiration Point outside Eureka Springs.
—Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2025
In what Abdallah described as a series of miracles, nobody was in the clinic last Saturday morning and its in vitro fertilization lab remained intact despite the mighty force of the explosion.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
But his budget is more accurately described as a major policy shift—and a very beneficial one.
—Jack Spencer, Boston Herald, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for describe
George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Nancy Preis, Opera in the Ozarks general director, will describe the new, state-of-the-art theater built with funds from the Walton Family Foundation at Inspiration Point outside Eureka Springs.
—Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2025
In what Abdallah described as a series of miracles, nobody was in the clinic last Saturday morning and its in vitro fertilization lab remained intact despite the mighty force of the explosion.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
But his budget is more accurately described as a major policy shift—and a very beneficial one.
—Jack Spencer, Boston Herald, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for describe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describe
Verb
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Visitors are greeted with a diorama depicting children and dinosaurs interacting peacefully in the Garden of Eden.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
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Banners depicting hometown heroes adorn the streets of Westminster in time for Memorial Day, honoring those who served in the U.S. military, including some who gave their lives.—
Thomas Goodwin Smith,
Baltimore Sun,
25 May 2025
Verb
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In 2024, a highly intoxicated passenger on an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Seattle reportedly bit a flight attendant in the arm an hour after takeoff, the Japanese airline told The Japan Times.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
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The exhibit opens Thursday and will run until Aug. 27, showcasing collectible furniture and accessories items created between the 1930s and the ’70s, Yashar told WWD.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The outline of the initial report — a contract extension for Crow-Armstrong potentially worth around $75 million — has been characterized as inaccurate.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Scott, a former two-term governor of the Sunshine State and no stranger to working with the agency while battling major hurricanes, characterized FEMA as rife with fraud that does little more than write checks for post-disaster cleanup.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Tony Martinez as Pepino Garcia Tony Martinez portrayed Pepino, the McCoys’ farmhand who often served as comic relief.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
31 May 2025
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According to Salvador, Maje portrayed herself as a victim of psychological and physical abuse.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Investigators suspected the two killings were related but ran out of leads and the cases went cold.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
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Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer 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.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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More impressive millwork defines the passageways to the formal dining and living rooms.—
James Alexander,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2025
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This was bricolage in the mode of postmodernism, to use a term that Jencks had a leading role in propagating, defining it in multiple competing and overlapping (some would say maddening) ways.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Els took a South African passport from his jacket pocket to illustrate his pride in his country.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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As the shot map below illustrates, since the start of the 2022-23 season, a large portion of his goals have been scored from in and around the six-yard box.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The 29-year-old shared her story with the Reddit community, recounting an experience that began with good conversation and common interests, only to turn into a manipulative and unsettling interaction.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
1 June 2025
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Moore went on to hit all the other hallmarks commonly heard during a presidential candidate’s stump speech — recounting his difficult family history, bashing President Donald Trump, and putting forward a positive vision for the Democratic Party.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Describe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describe. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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