Describe
/dɪˈskraɪb/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo represent or give an account of in words; to depict or portray.
/dɪˈskraɪb/
To give a detailed account of something.
The witness described the attacker to the police.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're telling a friend about a movie. You're describing it, explaining what happens and what it looks like! Describing is like painting a picture with words.
👶 For kids: To tell someone what something is like, using words.
More Examples
Can you describe the painting?
He described his feelings to his therapist.
How It's Used
"She described her trip to Italy."
"The article described the events of the protest."
"The scientist described the new species."
To specify or characterize; to define.
/dɪˈskraɪb/
To point out or refer to something.
The diagram describes the layout of the house.
💡 Simply: Imagine your friend is building something, and needs to know how to put it together. You look at the instructions. The instructions describe the steps.
👶 For kids: To tell the special way to do something
More Examples
The law describes the rights of the citizens.
How It's Used
"The manual describes the steps to assemble the product."
"The contract describes the terms of the agreement."
Idioms & expressions
describe in detail
To provide a comprehensive and thorough account of something.
"The report described the event in detail, providing every aspect."
describe briefly
To provide a short and quick account of something.
"She described the situation briefly, not going into much detail."
From Middle English descriven, from Old French descrire, from Latin dēscrībere ('to write down, copy out, describe'), from dē- ('down, completely') + scrībere ('to write').
Used since the 14th century, originally in the sense of 'to write down, copy out'. Over time, its meaning evolved to encompass representation and detailed accounts.
Memory tip
Think of 'scribe' (to write). Describe is 'to write down' details.
Practice
Word Origin
Root: dēscrībere