1
as in depicting
to give a representation or account of in words
he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in telling
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 characterizing
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of describing
Austin, 13, can be heard calmly describing the situation and asking for a helicopter to search for his mother and two siblings in a recording released by the Western Australia Police Force on Wednesday.
—
Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The other agents in the car continued to lie when describing the circumstances of the shooting to the FBI, including in a diagram that purported to show three cars in front of the agents’ Tahoe blocking them from moving forward.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The term’s origins lie in a 2017 Cosmopolitan article describing a romantic relationship, about three months in length, that’s extraordinarily painful, with one side having more interest than the other.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Those are words uttered by two different high school soccer coaches describing the Southern Section playoff pairings produced using a computer algorithm under the competitive equity system.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Browne revealed his departure in May 2025, describing it as a personal decision after guiding the organization through a strategic reset.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
In describing his central trio’s rise to prominence in the 1970s, Fischer positions Coppola as Lucas’s big-brother figure, and Lucas as Spielberg’s.
—Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Last week saw American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators meet for a second round of trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, with all three participants describing the meetings as productive.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.
—Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The other agents in the car continued to lie when describing the circumstances of the shooting to the FBI, including in a diagram that purported to show three cars in front of the agents’ Tahoe blocking them from moving forward.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The term’s origins lie in a 2017 Cosmopolitan article describing a romantic relationship, about three months in length, that’s extraordinarily painful, with one side having more interest than the other.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Those are words uttered by two different high school soccer coaches describing the Southern Section playoff pairings produced using a computer algorithm under the competitive equity system.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Browne revealed his departure in May 2025, describing it as a personal decision after guiding the organization through a strategic reset.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Feb. 2026
In describing his central trio’s rise to prominence in the 1970s, Fischer positions Coppola as Lucas’s big-brother figure, and Lucas as Spielberg’s.
—Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Last week saw American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators meet for a second round of trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, with all three participants describing the meetings as productive.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.
—Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describing
Verb
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The video featured footage depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.—
Staff Author,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Feb. 2026
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One retiring House Republican told Semafor that Thursday’s Trump post depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes validated the choice to leave Capitol Hill.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Chinese government reacted by telling Chinese citizens not to travel to Japan, threatening economic retaliation, and pulling the plug on meetings that were long planned, putting a pretty deep freeze on China-Japan relations.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
After initially telling students and staff to stay indoors, Arlington ISD is now saying that folks are safe to go outside.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Its president, Wolfson, is blunt in characterizing the settlements.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Conservatives, currently led by Kemi Badenoch, slammed Braverman following her defection, characterizing her as an inevitable turncoat and questioning her mental faculties.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, the actress felt the weight of portraying a figure so beloved for her signature minimalist style.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
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Alberdi explores the tale from Ale’s perspective through the use of dramatizations, with actress Ana Celeste Montalvo Peña portraying Ale, and Armando Espitia as Arturo.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There's some decent signage in the Colosseum, and the audio guide does a good job of recounting the building's history.—
Katie Parla,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
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Epstein expressed doubts that Crist would grant it, recounting that the Florida governor told him the issue was politically sensitive.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Period hairstyles also play a significant role in defining the characters of Elvira and Agnes, aka Cinderella, played by Thea Sofie Loch Naess.—
Simon Thompson,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And isn’t that about to become the defining ingredient of all future Hall of Fame voting, sooner than later?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After rendering a contemporary Native American community in specific, surreal, often hilarious detail in Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo turned to noir with The Lowdown.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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This method also had the practical downside of rendering my colander unusable for straining the rigatoni for my Wednesday-night pasta alla vodka.—
Alma Avalle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The collision of opposing perspectives forges art that challenges and confronts, that forces us out of familiar ways of thinking, relating and being.—
Richard P. Weigand,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2026
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Feeling withdrawn from relating?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Describing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describing. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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