descriptionde‧scrip‧tion /dɪˈskrɪpʃən/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable, uncountable] 
an accurate description of the event The booklet gives a brief description of each place. Berlin sounds fascinating from your description. → job description2be beyond/past description to be too good, bad, big etc to be described easily: The death and destruction were beyond description.3 of every/some/any etc description (also of all descriptions) people or things of every type, some type etc: People of all descriptions came to see the show.COLLOCATIONSverbsgive (somebody) a description· She was unable to give the police a description of her attacker.provide a description formal· The diary provides a clear description of farming life in the 1850s.issue a description (=formally give a description of someone to the public)· Police have issued a description of the two men they are looking for.fit/match a description (=be like the person in a police description)· The first man they arrested did not fit the description given by the victim.somebody answering a description (=a person who looks like someone in a police description)· A young girl answering this description has been seen in Spain.adjectivesgood· Her descriptions of the natural world are very good.clear· He gave us a clear description of the situation in the city.detailed· Some of his descriptions of the island are very detailed.accurate· I don't think the hotel's description of its facilities was very accurate.vivid (=very clear and interesting)· The book contains some vivid descriptions of his childhood.perfect· We have a perfect description of the man we are looking for.a full description formal (=detailed)· Please give a full description of your responsibilities in your present job.a long/lengthy description· I didn't want to hear a lengthy description of their holiday.a brief/short description· There's only a brief description of the hotel on the Internet.a general description (=not detailed)· He started by giving us a general description of the manufacturing process.a graphic description (=very clear and containing a lot of details, usually about something unpleasant)· The book has some graphic descriptions of life in the prison camp.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Tom gave the police a description of his car.
- Write a description of someone you know well.
- You can read a detailed description of the products on their Web site.
- Affleck certainly falls into that description.
- Anyway, Peter also had me write down some descriptions of the other members of the management committee.
- However, this was not because the goods were unfit for use but rather because they included goods of a different description.
- However, W was unaware that the description had been applied to the goods at all.
- She mesmerized a neighborhood gathering with a description of her transatlantic flight.
- The description, which I had read in a recent newspaper account, had struck me as infinitely ironic and strange.
THESAURUS
a written or spoken description that says what happens in an event or process: · He provided the police with a detailed account of what he saw.
something you say or write that gives details about what something or someone is like: · The report gave a brief description of the problem.
an account of something that has happened which may not be true – used especially when people are telling each other about something: · I don’t think he was honest enough to tell us the full story.· Her parents did not believe her story.
a written or spoken account of a situation or event, giving people the information they need, especially after studying something as part of your job: · The UN will issue a report on the incident.· Initial police reports suggest she was murdered.
a particular person’s account of an event, which is different from the account that another person gives: · Her version of events has been contradicted by other witnesses.
Longman Language Activatora written or spoken description what you say or write when you are describing a person, place, or thing: description of: · Write a description of someone you know well.give somebody a description: · Tom gave the police a description of his car.a full/detailed description (=containing all the important details): · You can read a detailed description of the products on their Web site.
a description of a situation or event, based on a study of the facts, that provides people with information about it and also tries to explain it: · The report is based on visits to schools in five cities.report on: · Amnesty International released another report on the government's use of torture.newspaper/news/television report: · News reports suggest that over 300 people may have died.
a written or spoken description of something that happened: account of: · The newspaper printed a detailed account of the trial.give an account: · In the magazine, Cook gives a colorful account of his first meeting with Hamilton.
a spoken description of an event such as a race or sports event which is given while it is happening, especially on the radio or television: · Joe Garagiola will provide the commentary tonight on Channel 7.commentary on: · Now let's go over to our London studio for commentary on the wrestling.running commentary (=a continuous commentary all the time that something is happening): · Sarah was looking out the window and giving us a running commentary on what was happening in the street.
a description of a person, thing, place etc that deliberately chooses particular details about them in order to make people form a particular opinion about them, especially a bad opinion: portrayal of: · Many have criticized Hollywood for its unrealistic portrayal of life in America.portrayal of somebody/something as: · I cannot accept the article's portrayal of these men as bloodthirsty terrorists.
a piece of writing that is descriptive contains a lot of details describing what someone or something is like, rather than telling a story or describing events: · The book contains many fine descriptive passages about everyday life in China.· When you write your paragraph, include as many descriptive details as possible.
a short description of someone's life, work, and character, especially of someone famous, that is written in a newspaper, shown on television etc: profile of: · Every week the magazine presents the profile of a well-known sports personality.· I heard a fascinating profile of Madeleine Albright on the radio yesterday.
to describe someone or something to talk or write about a person, place, event etc, saying what they are like and giving details about them: · Could you try and describe the man you saw?· In her book, she describes her journey across the Sahara.describe somebody/something as: · Police described the attack as particularly violent.describe somebody/something to somebody: · I tried to describe the feeling to my doctor, but she didn't understand.describe how/what: · It's difficult to describe how I felt.
to describe someone or something, especially by giving details about what they look like: · King gave a detailed description of a dark-haired muscular man to police.· The brochure gives a general description of the island and some of the things you can do there.
to describe something that you have seen or experienced by talking to people about it: · Grandma always talks about the way they used to live on the farm.· You should talk about your problems with someone - maybe they can help you.
to describe a person, place, event, situation etc by writing about it: · Have the children write about what they did last summer.· Purcell wrote about his son's illness for a popular magazine.
spoken use this when you are asking someone to describe someone or something to you or when you are describing someone or something to them: · "I've just met Anna's new boyfriend." "What's he like?"· I'll try and explain to you what being in prison was like.
to describe something that happened, giving only the facts and not adding your own feelings or opinions: · Please give a brief account of your previous work experience.· The second witness gave a similar account of what happened.
written to describe an event, situation etc, especially as though it was a story, in order to make it sound more exciting or impressive: · Many of the prisoners have told of the terrible conditions they were kept in and how they were beaten.tell somebody of: · In the evenings Morris would tell us of his youth spent in Europe.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs ‘Love at first sight’ is a very apt description of how he felt when he saw her. a detailed study of crime in Seattle He gave a disturbing account of the murder. It’s hard to give an objective opinion about your own children.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· She was unable to give the police a description of her attacker.
formal· The diary provides a clear description of farming life in the 1850s.
(=formally give a description of someone to the public)· Police have issued a description of the two men they are looking for.
(=be like the person in a police description)· The first man they arrested did not fit the description given by the victim.
(=a person who looks like someone in a police description)· A young girl answering this description has been seen in Spain.
adjectives· Her descriptions of the natural world are very good.
· He gave us a clear description of the situation in the city.
· Some of his descriptions of the island are very detailed.
· I don't think the hotel's description of its facilities was very accurate.
(=very clear and interesting)· The book contains some vivid descriptions of his childhood.
· We have a perfect description of the man we are looking for.
formal (=detailed)· Please give a full description of your responsibilities in your present job.
· I didn't want to hear a lengthy description of their holiday.
· There's only a brief description of the hotel on the Internet.
(=not detailed)· He started by giving us a general description of the manufacturing process.
(=very clear and containing a lot of details, usually about something unpleasant)· The book has some graphic descriptions of life in the prison camp.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES ‘Love at first sight’ is a very apt description of how he felt when he saw her. a detailed study of crime in Seattle He gave a disturbing account of the murder. It’s hard to give an objective opinion about your own children.· A certain nervous expectation, incipient disappointment mitigated by professional Micawberism, is a more accurate description.· An accurate description of the problem is the first step in solving it.· Do you think that this is an accurate description of how people behave when they acquire extra money?· Neither the word voluntary nor the word nonprofit offers an accurate description.· This seems to be an accurate description of the initial decisions about seeking entry into higher education.· Both linguists wish to produce accurate descriptions of the particular language studied.· Precisely because they make no claim to be accurate descriptions of the social world, they are not directly testable.· These days, a more accurate description is that, despite official assurances, relations are bad and getting worse.
· This time, the term attenuation band is an apt description of each range of frequency.· In 1955, Gibson formally dubbed it an organization, though social club might have been a more apt description.· We were travelling along the Lofoten Wall, an apt description for the mountains protecting this huge sea fjord.· More than half of them said it tastes like melted-down bubble gum, which is an apt description of Josta.· There could not be a more apt description of this mountain in miniature.· I thought it an apt and correct description, with its connotations of inertia and lifelessness.· The manual suggests that you move the carriage as if ironing and this is a very apt description.
· It is very easy to respond to brief descriptions in catalogues that are not fully descriptive.· This disease although now a rarity, does warrant a brief description.· This completes our brief description of the orchestral brass.· This is a brief description of single case research and an explanation as to how to carry out such a monitoring project.· It should be clear from this brief description that these issues are inherently geographical.· Rota reads the laws, finds out what reports are demanded, and writes a brief description for his book.· There's also a further check box option to search the brief descriptions that accompany some groups.· Each of its seven major options is arranged into subcategories with brief descriptions.
· Existential propositions, contextually indispensable though they might be, are not logically essential for a complete description of the world.· A complete job description almost defies definition.· Table 11.3 is the complete description of Figure 11.2.· It is not a complete description of the law.· Why are monadic predicates not sufficient for a complete description of the world?· Existential propositions are not really necessary - logically necessary - for a complete description of the world.· A more complete and compact description of curvature in n dimensions is embodied in the Riemann tensor.
· Thurlow concentrates on vividly detailed description of his races, mostly in the style of the time.· First of all, one of the most striking aspects of the notes is the interest Marx shows in detailed ethnographic description.· The detailed descriptions of the cable working, might have been helped by diagrams.· You will have your own detailed job description which describes the kind of tasks you will be doing.· This table is based upon interviewees' detailed descriptions of their desired practice, not upon terms they used to describe them.· A detailed description of that period would be impossible, as nothing of any substance happened.· Under this system each department is divided into programme areas and a detailed programme description is provided.· Moreover as a history of realism the book is concerned with larger matters than the detailed description of style.
· Three others alleged false trade descriptions.· From next month, it will be a criminal offence to give false or misleading descriptions of property for sale.· Three others accused the firm of false trade descriptions.· In determining whether there is a false trade description the court looks at the situation as an ordinary purchaser would.· Ratners admitted offering goods with a false description.· Protection against being misled by false or inaccurate descriptions of goods on sale is provided by the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968.
· A full description is given on page 45.· Our existing nutritional labelling gives a full description of sugar, fat and fibre content.· See separate entry for full description.· A full description of the meanings and uses of the status flag is given in the User's Guide.· A fuller description of the process of data integration is presented by Flowerdew and Green in Chapter 4.· For a full description of the individual excursions, please see the relevant resort pages.· I will quote the full description.· Also a full description of the supply-room clerk at Exports Consolidated and of his two accomplices.
· The information from the general descriptions condition in Figure 7.1 shows an interaction between the two types of risk.· A military helicopter was dispatched and the man was rescued based on the general description provided.· A general description of the technological processes 4.· Further information about admissions to individual faculties as well as general course descriptions are contained in the later faculty sections.· The players may well ask for a general description of the Castle.· Precisely the same coding system was used for both general descriptions and descriptions of potential risks.· You must be content, therefore, with such a general description as I have received from some of the eunuchs.
· Structural features of perception, he suggests, might be accessible to objective description even though qualitative aspects are not.· What if language is not a neutral system capable of objective description and analysis?
· A physical description was easier than an emotional assessment.· The very physical description of the Huns proved sufficient in and of itself to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies.· Part of the answer is provided by the ballet's programme, which gives a physical description of all 13 dancers.· Ground-based data as well as the latest information from the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft are used in developing both physical descriptions and theoretical understanding.· A physical description of the principal processes occurring within a turbulent flow can be developed from these.· There is only an abstract quantum physical description.· The story does, however, abound in felicities; the physical descriptions of the planet, for example, are superb.
· At the back of the book there are twenty-two short descriptions of analytical experiments that can be carried out.· This noncommercial site is basically a list of horticultural links, with a short description of each.· Blurb a short description or commentary of a book or author on a book jacket.· The chapters commenced with a short description of the particular subject, followed by numerous photographs of vehicles and other ancillary equipment.· A few short descriptions of the kinds of activities reported to us may serve to illustrate some of their range and variety.
· For all kinds of on screen information - including graphics - Window Bridge can produce a verbal description.· Precise verbal statements and descriptions avoid this pitfall.· The decline in information content from principal component 1 to principal component 4 does not need any verbal description.· The root definition is a concise verbal description of the system, which captures its essential nature.· In every case the draftsman should consider whether the plan is to prevail over the verbal description or viceversa.
NOUN· Your job description outlines the main duties that you will be carrying out in the course of your work.· But his exposure to the tourism industry extended beyond his actual job description.· Furthermore, the job description is also vitally important so that candidates then know what is required.· We will have to learn to live with work situations that are not framed by job descriptions and clear reporting relationships.· Most job descriptions are bland, boring, totally devoid of colour and - worse still - frequently devoid of real meaning.· The traditional employee had two sources of authority: the boss and the job description.· Morris nods at a job description he had approved, perhaps even encouraged, many months ago.· These activities were not a part of the job description.
· PostScript-a page description language developed by Adobe Systems.· But, because it's a command language and not a page description language the facilities it possesses are adequate rather than sophisticated.· The key to almost all the page makeup software problems is to discover whether the program supports a page description language.· The page description language also allows graphics to be incorporated; rules, tones, line drawings and so on.· There are currently two page description languages that are getting all the attention.· Page description languages are currently a hot topic with much being written about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various offerings.· The difficulty is to find a good description language in which to express the learning situation.· Control formats based on escape sequences can be of indefinite length, and page description languages can be extremely powerful.
· PostScript-a page description language developed by Adobe Systems.· But, because it's a command language and not a page description language the facilities it possesses are adequate rather than sophisticated.· The key to almost all the page makeup software problems is to discover whether the program supports a page description language.· The page description language also allows graphics to be incorporated; rules, tones, line drawings and so on.· There are currently two page description languages that are getting all the attention.· Control formats based on escape sequences can be of indefinite length, and page description languages can be extremely powerful.· PostScript is a page description language.· A pixel addressable printer can obviously reproduce a bit mapped image, and page description formats have developed to allow this.
· Three others alleged false trade descriptions.· No statement is a trade description unless that statement relates to one of the items listed in section 2.· Three others accused the firm of false trade descriptions.· In determining whether there is a false trade description the court looks at the situation as an ordinary purchaser would.· A mileometer reading on a motor vehicle is a trade description within the Act.
VERB· The receipt message contains the description of the goods and reservations by the carrier on the state of the goods.· The novels of Charles Dickens contain moving descriptions of the terrible difficulties people faced during this time.· The majority of this book however, is divided into sections containing detailed descriptions of the most popular and best available packages.· This typical report contains many descriptions of direct sensory phenomena.· The list itself contains a description, and it is generally possible to tell from that which features are protected.· Russell proposed that sentences containing definite descriptions are to be semantically analyzed as general sentences.· As well as containing detailed site descriptions and guides, this new addition to the series shows how individual monuments integrated with contemporary society.
· Two other women lay upon the counter a pickle-bottle and a glass vessel of a kind which altogether defies description.
· Divided by region of Great Britain, it includes photographs and detailed descriptions of each property.· Quikbook. com, which includes detailed hotel descriptions but no photos.· For those, you can include a column for a more detailed description, such as size, color and features.· A detailed description of the class approach to explaining politics is in Chapter 10.· It is therefore important that a detailed description of your study population be presented in the research proposal.· The operation of point-factor systems depends upon the existence of detailed job descriptions.
· Shildon was not waiting for Rain and the landlord had not seen anyone fitting his description.· But once we call it that, how do we judge who fits the description?· If they do suspect some one or know some one fitting the description, speak to us in confidence and we will investigate it.· Hillary Clinton fits neither description and seems not to want to.· They've received hundreds of calls, and now have the names of two men who fit the attacker's description.· Marc Tell, homebound in Manhattan, fits that description.· He certainly was in the town on 22 June, and he certainly fitted the description.· Only the point guards fit that description on this club.
· The police had been called and, following her description, a young man had been apprehended.· Next, the appropriate research design followed by a description of the population to be studied is inserted.· The following descriptions are of the full Moon-walking suit.· They were following up on descriptions of thieves allegedly involved in the deaths of two men in the town.
· He recommended retreats in a noisy world, and gave a beautiful description of their purpose.· Genthe gives it this description: This extraordinary question could not have been asked in 1906.· And Martin gives a brief description of the type of terrain and gradients that blistered feet will meet.· But for most students who fit the given descriptions, early identification may avoid future failure.· Each teacher shall be given an individual job description specifying his or her particular responsibilities.· However it does give very authoritative descriptions of fighting aircraft, training, tactics and war reports.· As I was giving this description it came to me that I was talking about some one else.· From next month, it will be a criminal offence to give false or misleading descriptions of property for sale.
· A field guide to the Quaternary deposits has been completed; it includes descriptions of important interglacial deposits found during the survey.· Divided by region of Great Britain, it includes photographs and detailed descriptions of each property.· Chapters 1 and 2 include descriptions of the various chromatographic, electrophoretic and spectroscopic techniques used in such systems.· Quikbook. com, which includes detailed hotel descriptions but no photos.· It also includes descriptions of his early days on the Survey and pen portraits of the great geologists of those times.· Some nonverbal messages are so necessary to language that they must be included in descriptions of it.· If a story was written skillfully enough to include vivid descriptions, Louisa pictured them in her mind.
· Any word could follow any other word, just so long as it matched the phonetic input description.· Only one matched the description of some one they arrested.· The parodic elements of Gay's pastorals are matched by close descriptions and a genuine sympathy for rural life.· The designs on the robes also matched the descriptions of those robes in which the Saint had been enveloped in 1104.· A car matching police descriptions had been found in Jedforest rugby club car park.· Imagine how difficult it would be to videotape the pictures to match that description.· Those that matched Darby's description had been borrowed from the newsroom and the wording of the death threat typed on them.· Scrambling turned to roped up exploration as the frustrating hunt for anything remotely matching the guidebook description ensued.
· The authors have provided descriptions indicating the degree of decision-making authority held by the manager.· The book must necessarily simplify concepts and provide very limited descriptions of the techniques, their applications and limitations.· Here, users already contacted are asked to provide a description of other users in their network.· Einstein also recognized that the stress-energy tensor provided the appropriate tensor description for the distribution and flow of energy in space-time.· He also provides a very detailed description of the medium.· Chapter 3 is concerned with interface conduits and provides a good description of interfacing requirements of tandem systems.· However, the demands of the experimentalists make it difficult to provide a simple description of the meaning of the calculations.
· The Profitboss doesn't squander precious time writing and reading lengthy job descriptions.· He gobbled his pancakes as she started to read the description.· What a relief then to read Charles Dickens's description of the miseries of feeling seasick without actually being sick.· In a book by Dürer he read a description of a perspective device and made one for himself.· After all, anybody who read the description of the murder weapon in the Saturday papers could have sent the knives.· This should be borne in mind while reading the following descriptions so that the medium does not become confused with the aims.
· Discussion Choose one of the four. Write a description of the person you have chosen.· Rota reads the laws, finds out what reports are demanded, and writes a brief description for his book.· Make a vow never to write another long job description.· They realize that creatively written job descriptions can lead to pay increases, as can changed job duties.· Anyway, Peter also had me write down some descriptions of the other members of the management committee.· Tell them to talk about what they saw and to write a description.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► be beyond/past descriptionPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a blow-by-blow account/description etc
- Academic excellence was matched with extra-curricular activities of every description - from drama through sport to foreign travel.
- But there is nothing against rugs of any description.
- For example, he wanted to be a member of as many clubs - of any description - as possible.
- Her knowledge of publishing trends, literary history, and books of every description and genre, however, filled rooms.
- It is authorized to decide all cases of every description, arising under the constitution or laws of the United States.
- Superb apple pie with sultanas and cloves, interspersed with crusty bread sandwiches of every description.
- The action must take place against a backdrop of some description, even if it it is a blank black curtain.
- A hiker spotted a man answering the description given by police.
- Harry, that awful, awful singing beggars belief.
- In Gravity's Rainbow, conspiracies proliferate to such an extent that they beggar description.
- The initial radio message had beggared belief.
- The thought of la belle dame de Bruges coming out with such stuff beggars belief.
- The waste, deaths, brutality and destruction of property beggar description.
- What she found there still beggars belief.
- His changeable features, his tones, gestures and expressions seemed to defy descriptions.
- His swerve was something that defied analysis; just as it defied attempts to counter it.
- It defies belief and makes you question exactly who the law is protecting here: the sick minds or their young victims?
- Like the secret of Stradivari's varnish, this extra dimension defies analysis.
- The dam defied description; it defied belief.
- Two other women lay upon the counter a pickle-bottle and a glass vessel of a kind which altogether defies description.
- Yet other species exhibit variation patterns that defy analysis of the sophistication of present-day biology.
- I had had nothing but glowing reports from her teacher.
- In return for this hospitality, all they have to do is write a glowing report of their experience.
- Most performers can read ten glowing reports and one bad, and only remember the nasty one.
- Our son's achievement level soared and at the end of the school year he received a glowing report from his teachers.
- These pretentious phrases and glowing descriptions also have a resonance for our time.
- These proved very successful and a glowing report came from the Establishment.
WORD FAMILYadjectivedescribable ≠ indescribablenondescriptdescriptivenoundescriptionverbdescribeadverbdescriptively
1a piece of writing or speech that gives details about what someone or something is likedescription of an accurate description of the event The booklet gives a brief description of each place. Berlin sounds fascinating from your description. → job description2be beyond/past description to be too good, bad, big etc to be described easily: The death and destruction were beyond description.3 of every/some/any etc description (also of all descriptions) people or things of every type, some type etc: People of all descriptions came to see the show.COLLOCATIONSverbsgive (somebody) a description· She was unable to give the police a description of her attacker.provide a description formal· The diary provides a clear description of farming life in the 1850s.issue a description (=formally give a description of someone to the public)· Police have issued a description of the two men they are looking for.fit/match a description (=be like the person in a police description)· The first man they arrested did not fit the description given by the victim.somebody answering a description (=a person who looks like someone in a police description)· A young girl answering this description has been seen in Spain.adjectivesgood· Her descriptions of the natural world are very good.clear· He gave us a clear description of the situation in the city.detailed· Some of his descriptions of the island are very detailed.accurate· I don't think the hotel's description of its facilities was very accurate.vivid (=very clear and interesting)· The book contains some vivid descriptions of his childhood.perfect· We have a perfect description of the man we are looking for.a full description formal (=detailed)· Please give a full description of your responsibilities in your present job.a long/lengthy description· I didn't want to hear a lengthy description of their holiday.a brief/short description· There's only a brief description of the hotel on the Internet.a general description (=not detailed)· He started by giving us a general description of the manufacturing process.a graphic description (=very clear and containing a lot of details, usually about something unpleasant)· The book has some graphic descriptions of life in the prison camp.