describe

(dĭ-skrīb')
tr.v., -scribed, -scrib·ing, -scribes.

1. To give an account of in speech or writing.
2. To convey an idea or impression of; characterize: She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
3. To represent pictorially; depict: Goya's etchings describe the horrors of war in grotesque detail.
4. 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.]

describable de·scrib'a·ble adj.
describer de·scrib'er n.

SYNONYMS   describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report. 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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verb

1. To give a verbal account of: narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell. See words.
2. To present a lifelike image of: delineate, depict, express, image, limn, picture, portray, render, represent, show. See show/hide.

v

Definition: explain in speech, writing
Antonyms: confuse, misrepresent, mix up

IN BRIEF: To tell about in detail.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. — Abraham Lincoln.

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For a list of words related to describe, see:

• Reasoning and Informing - describe: set forth the nature of something; depict

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Describe.

Common misspelling(s) of describe

• discribe
• decribe

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - beskrive, kalde, tegne, danne

Nederlands (Dutch)
beschrijven, karakteriseren, maken (van een vorm)

Français (French)
v. tr. - décrire, dépeindre, représenter, qualifier, (Math) décrire

Deutsch (German)
v. - beschreiben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - περιγράφω, απεικονίζω, χαρακτηρίζω

Italiano (Italian)
descrivere

Português (Portuguese)
v. - descrever

Русский (Russian)
описывать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - describir, indicar, representar, trazar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - beskriva, beteckna

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
描写, 形容, 记述

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 描寫, 形容, 記述

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 묘사하다, (사람을) 평가하다, 그리다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 描写する, 評する, 描く

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يصف, يصور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮תיאר, שרטט‬

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