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5 dictionary results for: describe

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

de·scribe

[di-skrahyb] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -scribed, -scrib·ing.

1.	to tell or depict in written or spoken words; give an account of: He described the accident very carefully.

2.	to pronounce, as by a designating term, phrase, or the like; label: There are few people who may be described as geniuses.

3.	to indicate; be a sign of; denote: Conceit, in many cases, describes a state of serious emotional insecurity.

4.	to represent or delineate by a picture or figure.

5.	Geometry. to draw or trace the outline of: to describe an arc.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME describen < L déscrībere, equiv. to dé- de- + scrībere to write

]

—Related forms

de·scrib·a·ble, adjective

de·scrib·a·bil·i·ty, noun

de·scrib·a·bly, adverb

de·scrib·er, noun

—Synonyms 1. portray, characterize, represent; recount, tell, relate. Describe, narrate agree in the idea of giving an account of something. To describe is to convey in words the appearance, nature, attributes, etc., of something. The word often implies vividness of personal observation: to describe a scene, an event. To narrate is to recount the occurrence of something, usually by giving the details of an event or events in the order of their happening. Narrate thus applies only to that which happens in time: to narrate an incident.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

de·scribe (dĭ-skrīb') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. de·scribed, de·scrib·ing, de·scribes

To give an account of in speech or writing.
To convey an idea or impression of; characterize: She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
To represent pictorially; depict: Goya's etchings describe the horrors of war in grotesque detail.
To trace the form or outline of: describe a circle with a compass.

[Middle English describen, from Latin dēscrībere, to write down : dē-, de- + scrībere, to write; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.]

de·scrib'a·ble adj., de·scrib'er n.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to tell the facts, details, or particulars of something verbally or in writing: described the accident; narrated their travel experiences; an explorer reciting her adventures; a mercenary recounting his exploits; parents rehearsing street safety with their children; related the day's events; reported what she had seen.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

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

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Describe

De*scribe"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Described; p. pr. & vb. n. Describing.] [L. describere, descriptum; de- + scribere to write: cf. OE. descriven, OF. descrivre, F. d['e]crire. See Scribe, and cf. Descry.]

1. To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out; as, to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle.

2. To represent by words written or spoken; to give an account of; to make known to others by words or signs; as, the geographer describes countries and cities.

3. To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class. [Obs.]

Passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book. --Josh. xviii. 9.

Syn: To set forth; represent; delineate; relate; recount; narrate; express; explain; depict; portray; chracterize.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Describe

De*scribe"\, v. i. To use the faculty of describing; to give a description; as, Milton describes with uncommon force and beauty.

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