describeverb [ T ]
uk/dɪˈskraɪb/us/dɪˈskraɪb/A2 to say or write what someone or something is like:
Could you describe your attacker?
He described the painting in detail.
[ + question word ] Let me describe (to you) how it happened.
She described Gary as shy.
formal If you describe a shape, you draw it or move in a direction that follows the line of it:
He used compasses to describe a circle.
More examples
- Please describe to the court exactly what you saw.
- His latest film is described as a 'romantic comedy'.
- His teacher described him as a noisy, disruptive influence in class.
- It couldn't by any stretch of the imagination be described as a beautiful city.
- He insisted on describing his operation in graphic detail while we were eating lunch.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Defining & explaining
- (do you) see what I mean? idiom
- account (to sb) for sth
- accountable
- cast
- clarify
- convey
- descriptive
- every picture tells a story idiom
- evocative
- evoke
- explicable
- explicate
- expound
- fill
- get sth across
- justify
- mean
- scene
- schematic
- that is to say ... idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Bending, twisting and curving
Painting, drawing & printing