1
as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort
we couldn't descry the reasons for his sudden departure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in noticing
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
could just descry the ship coming over the horizon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descrying
Verb
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The grim news out of Tucson is that, thirteen days into the search for Nancy Guthrie, the odds of finding her alive have been dropping by the hour.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026 -
The impact is expected to hit the bottom of the employment pyramid hardest, with research finding big drops in hiring among 22- to 25-year-olds in tech and customer service, The Economist reported.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The difference between counting down the minutes and barely noticing the time often comes down to what’s in your carry-on.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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Driving west on Lake Street in Minneapolis, Emily Phillips abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence, noticing a pickup truck with heavily tinted windows.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Enhance your media literacy by learning the differences between news and opinion and, further, how to differentiate between advertising, news articles, letters, columns and editorials.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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YouTube pushed back on addiction claims YouTube wasn’t originally part of the lawsuit; Kaley and her mother decided to add it after learning about the platform’s addictive qualities, Lanier said.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Garlic is a kitchen staple for many, but spotting a green sprout poking out of a clove can raise questions about food safety.—
Caitlin Beale,
Health,
11 Feb. 2026
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After spotting a mail truck and carrier, McBee jumped out of the Toyota and demanded the carrier’s keys.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the simplest case, an unexpected reward (say, discovering some tasty fruit when hungry, or having someone attractive declare their love for you) causes a burst of dopamine release into a part of the basal ganglia known as the striatum—specifically, the nucleus accumbens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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While the popularity of these app-blocking devices increases (Novelli said the company has sold more than 60,000), questions remain about their efficacy when the people who buy them are mainly discovering the devices through the internet—and talking about them on social media.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Later on Monday, Croft recalled seeing a large tent standing in the middle of the roadway while numerous law enforcement officers investigated the scene.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The second citation refers to Christ’s reaction to seeing the tomb of Lazarus.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prayer requests have accompanied Guthrie’s calls for help locating her mother.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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The findings underscore the importance of incorporating oral traditions into heritage protection, as folklore contains crucial information for locating these sites.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Building and Inspections is now waiting for a report from the property owner’s structural engineer regarding the cause of the collapse.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
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For example, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan believed that men’s buying habits regarding underwear were a good indication of whether consumers were making fewer discretionary purchases.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Descrying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descrying. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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