Descriptions

/dɪˈskrɪpʃənz/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonBusiness
2 meanings2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A statement or account that gives a detailed representation of something.

/dɪˈskrɪpʃənz/

nounneutralBeginner
Business

A written or spoken account of something.

The police officer asked for descriptions of the stolen car.

💡 Simply: Imagine telling a friend about a movie you just saw. You would give a description, right? Like, 'It was about a superhero with amazing powers!' Descriptions are all about giving details.

👶 For kids: A description is when you tell someone what something is like. Like, 'The cat had fluffy fur and big green eyes! That's a description!

More Examples

2

The artist gave detailed descriptions of his paintings.

3

The instruction manual contains descriptions of the product's features.

How It's Used

General

"The travel brochure provided detailed descriptions of the hotels."

Literature

"The author used vivid descriptions to paint a picture in the reader's mind."

Law

"The witness provided descriptions of the suspect."

2

A category or type that something belongs to, especially used in advertising or commerce to categorize products or services.

/dɪˈskrɪpʃənz/

nounneutralIntermediate
Technology

A type or class, often as a trademark or model.

All the descriptions of products have been updated in the catalogue.

💡 Simply: Imagine different types or classes of something like cars; descriptions are the categories, like the model or features of those cars. It is useful when shopping.

👶 For kids: A description can also be a name that tells you what a thing is. Like, 'What kind of ice cream do you want? Vanilla! Is a description.

More Examples

2

I was looking for a car of a certain description.

3

They have many descriptions of phones to choose from.

How It's Used

Business

"What are the different descriptions of cars you can buy?"

E-Commerce

"The product description was very misleading, with lots of inaccurate details."

Tip:Think of different categories used in a store or on a website. They classify items based on description.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

beyond description

Impossible to describe; too great or extreme to be expressed in words.

"The beauty of the sunset was beyond description."

a word picture

A description that makes you visualize the object in your mind.

"The author painted a word picture of the setting to draw me into the story."

From Middle English descripcioun, from Old French descripcion, from Latin descriptio ('a writing down, a description'), from describere ('to write down').

Descriptions have been used extensively throughout history in various forms, from ancient literature to modern news reporting.

Memory tip

Think of the 'scribe' – someone who writes down details, creating a description.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to write"

detailed descriptionsvivid descriptionsbrief descriptionsaccurate descriptionswritten descriptionsverbal descriptionsproduct descriptionsprovide descriptions

Common misspellings

descripsionsdescriprionsdescripitions

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written