1
as in depicts
to give a representation or account of in words
he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tells
to give an oral or written account of in some detail
a biography of Washington that describes the decisive Battle of Yorktown at great length
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in characterizes
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of describes
The post, shared by Reddit user No-Street-6651, describes a multi-stage interview process that included three rounds of interviews and a detailed six-page project for a marketing brand manager position.
—
Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Bourne is the chair of the Yolo County’s chapter of Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit that describes itself as advocating for parental rights.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Loktev describes how that stigmatization was part of a Kremlin effort to discredit any reporters who strayed outside the party line.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
The gap Taylor describes — too much income for public assistance, too little to cover housing comfortably — is not unique to teachers or even KCPS staff.
—Thomas White, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Jaden Barker describes herself as an avid runner.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.
—Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Goldhaber describes himself as someone who grew up on the internet.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Day describes intuition in pragmatic terms.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Bourne is the chair of the Yolo County’s chapter of Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit that describes itself as advocating for parental rights.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Loktev describes how that stigmatization was part of a Kremlin effort to discredit any reporters who strayed outside the party line.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
The gap Taylor describes — too much income for public assistance, too little to cover housing comfortably — is not unique to teachers or even KCPS staff.
—Thomas White, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Jaden Barker describes herself as an avid runner.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Mar. 2026
In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.
—Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Goldhaber describes himself as someone who grew up on the internet.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Day describes intuition in pragmatic terms.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
Verb
-
Picasso created the work, which depicts the assault on Guernica, in 1937 for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris Universal Exposition.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The first piece inside the galleries, a 1967 painting by the German artist Maina-Miriam Munsky, depicts a schematic outline of a cube struggling to contain a mass of dreamy flesh.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rizo tells Ozzy about his Idol, cementing their polycule.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The book, being published by Doubleday and Pan Macmillan, tells the true story of Zac Brettler, a London teenager who died under mysterious circumstances in 2019.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Other weirdness characterizes the city’s plan beginning with the decision to put a tourism agency, Choose Chicago, in charge.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Even preschoolers there are taught to spot the online disinformation that characterizes 21st-century hybrid warfare.—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The film also marks the screen debut of Mark Merphy, who portrays Nelson as a young man in flashback.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Playing alongside Clarence Muse, who portrays a tenant farmer, Fetchit was cast as the clichéd buffoon, lazy and happy-go-lucky.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The film recounts the struggle of local communities to protect a fragile and vital ecosystem that also serves as their ancestral home.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As Martin recounts in her 2023 coffee-table missive Mamma Milano, the brand’s ethereal ethos was there from the start.—
Ingrid Abramovitch,
Architectural Digest,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The kind that defines his game.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Among them have been intrepid, talented chefs, undeterred by the cold, who have slowly but surely created a remarkably diverse food scene, using the agricultural bounty that defines the region.—
David Farley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Contending visions of the attorney general’s job Bondi’s tenure illustrates the conflicting visions of what an attorney general should do that animate today’s American politics.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The University of Illinois System illustrates the scale of impact universities can have across the state.—
Mark Denzler,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Considered narrowly, statesmanship relates primarily to politics and government.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s a lovely little formula called the small-angle approximation that relates the two.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
