Definition

1. Verb:
   • To give an account or representation of something in words: To use language to create a detailed picture or explanation of a person, object, event, or concept.
   • To draw or trace the outline of a figure: To mark out a shape or line, often in a literal, physical sense.

Usage

• The primary use of "describe" is to convey detailed information about something through spoken or written words. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the thing being described).
• It is used to answer questions like "What is it like?" or "What happened?" by providing characteristics, features, or a sequence of events.

Examples

• Verb:
  • Can you describe the suspect to the police? (You are asked to give a verbal account of the suspect's appearance.)
  • The author beautifully describes the sunset over the mountains. (The author uses words to create a vivid picture of the sunset.)
  • The witness described the accident in great detail. (The witness gave a verbal report of how the accident happened.)
  • He used a compass to describe a perfect circle on the paper. (He physically traced the outline of a circle.)

Advanced Usage

• "Describe as": To label or characterize someone or something in a specific way.
  • She described the experience as terrifying. (She characterized the experience with the quality of being terrifying.)
• "Describe in detail": To provide a very thorough and comprehensive account.
  • The manual describes the assembly process in detail.
• "Beyond description": (Idiomatic) Something so extreme or amazing that words are insufficient to convey it.
  • The beauty of the landscape was beyond description.

Variants and Related Words

• Description (n): A spoken or written account that describes.
  • He gave a detailed description of the car.
• Descriptive (adj): Serving or aiming to describe.
  • She wrote a very descriptive essay about her hometown.
• Indescribable (adj): Too unusual, extreme, or indefinite to be adequately described.
  • The pain was indescribable.

Synonyms

• Portray: To depict or describe in a particular way, often in art or literature.
• Depict: To represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form, or to describe in words.
• Detail: To describe item by item; to give the particulars of.
• Narrate: To give a spoken or written account of events; to tell a story.

Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Describe" does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically modified by prepositions like "as" or "to," as shown in advanced usage.)

Related Idioms

• Describe to a T: To describe something perfectly or with great accuracy.
  • The child described the lost dog to a T.

Verb

1. identify as in botany or biology, for example
2. make a mark or lines on a surface
   • draw a line
   • trace the outline of a figure in the sand
3. to give an account or representation of in words
   • Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental
4. give a description of
   • He drew an elaborate plan of attack