describe

[dih-skrahyb] / dɪˈskraɪb /

VERB

explain in speech, writing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

call characterize chronicle construe define depict detail express illustrate interpret label name outline portray recount report represent specify tell term

STRONG

communicate delineate distinguish draw elucidate epitomize exemplify explicate expound illuminate image impart limn narrate paint particularize picture recite rehearse relate sketch state trace transmit

WEAK

convey image make apparent make clear make sense of make vivid mark out write up

Antonyms

STRONGEST

conceal confuse distort hide ignore listen misunderstand suppress

STRONG

cloud complicate mystify obscure

WEAK

misrepresent mix up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

People describe the U.S. electric grid as the biggest machine on the planet.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Posting a tribute on Facebook, his family said they were "devastated" and "words simply can't describe the heartbreak and upset we're going through".

From BBC • May 15, 2026

It was an interesting choice to describe a player who’d unravelled a few nights before, but it felt like the correct read.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Astronomers describe an asteroid or comet as "active" when it releases dust, gas or larger pieces of material into space.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

And she is put into rooms that are beyond scorching, so hot that I do not have the language to describe them.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Vocabulary lists containing describe

The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1

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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)

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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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