describe

de·scribe

Use describe in a sentence

A witness describes what she saw to a police officer.

verb

Describe is defined as to give details about something to someone.

An example of describe is someone giving the police details about how their attacker looked.

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"describe." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE>.

APA Style

describe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE

describe

transitive verb

-·scribed′, -·scrib′ing

to tell or write about; give a detailed account of
to picture in words
to move through space in such a way as to represent or conform to (the outline of a given shape): the gymnast's rotating arm described an arc
Obs. to descry: so used through confusion

Origin of describe

Middle English descriven from Old French descrivre from Classical Latin describere, to copy down, transcribe from de-, from + scribere, to write: see scribe

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MLA Style

"describe." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE>.

APA Style

describe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE

describe

transitive verb

de·scribed, de·scrib·ing, de·scribes

To give an account of in speech or writing: describe a sea voyage.
To convey an idea or impression of; characterize: She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
To represent pictorially; depict: Goya's etchings describe the horrors of war in grotesque detail.
To trace the form or outline of: describe a circle with a compass.

Origin of describe

Middle English describen from Latin dēscrībere to write down dē- de- scrībere to write ; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

de·scrib′a·ble
adjective

de·scrib′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"describe." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE>.

APA Style

describe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE

describe

describe narrate recite recount rehearse relate report

These verbs mean to tell the facts, details, or particulars of something verbally or in writing: described the accident; narrated their travel experiences; an explorer reciting her adventures; a mercenary recounting his exploits; parents rehearsing street safety with their children; related the day's events; reported what she had seen.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"describe." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE>.

APA Style

describe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/DESCRIBE

Verb

(third-person singular simple present describes, present participle describing, simple past and past participle described)

To represent in words.
The feeling is difficult to describe, but not unpleasant.
The geographer describes countries and cities.
To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out.
to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle
(mathematics) To give rise to a geometrical structure.
The function describes a very complex surface.
(biology) To reveal a new species by scientifically explaining its characteristics and particularly how it differs from other species.
The fungus was first described by a botanist.

Origin

From Middle English descriven, from Old French descrivre, from Latin dēscrībō (“I copy off, transcribe, sketch off, describe in painting or writing”), from dē (“off”) + scrībō (“write”); see scribe and shrive.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.