Describe
verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 To represent in words. transitive
"The feeling is difficult to describe, but not unpleasant."
- 2 identify as in botany or biology, for example wordnet
- 3 To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out. transitive
"to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle"
- 4 to give an account or representation of in words wordnet
- 5 To give rise to a geometrical structure. transitive
"The function describes a very complex surface."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 give a description of wordnet
- 7 To introduce a new taxon to science by explaining its characteristics and particularly how it differs from other taxa. transitive
"The fungus was first described by a botanist."
- 8 make a mark or lines on a surface wordnet
- 9 To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class. obsolete, transitive
"Passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book."
Example
More examples"Bill Clinton spoke in ambiguous language when asked to describe his relationship with Monica Lewinsky."
Etymology
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. Displaced native Old English āmearcian.
Related phrases
More for "describe"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.