describes

verb

present tense third-person singular of describe
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

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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?

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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 Human Intelligence As Spec The Knowing markets itself as 100% human intelligence, which Thomas describes as a business proposition rather than a moral one. — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Modern interpreters have read his 10 heads as signifying his vast knowledge of 10 sacred texts, or alternately his 10 ethical failings, but the Ramayana account describes him as 10-headed from birth. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 Doug Sutter, a Rock County supervisor who supports the moratorium, describes himself as a constitutional conservative. — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026 Their debates can get heated, but Gray, who describes himself as a conflict-averse person in a high-conflict business, says the criticism should never be personal. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Put simply, penalty relief describes the broader set of IRS provisions that can help taxpayers avoid, reduce or remove certain penalties. — Jamela Adam, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Märtha Louise, who was previously married for 14 years, in 2024 wed Durek Verrett, an American who describes himself as a shaman and a healer on his website. — Jan M. Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Maybelline describes the formula as waterproof, smudge-resistant, and transfer-resistant for up to 24 hours. — Mickey Williams, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026 The agreement Hansen describes would be a much larger legal matter than a standard screening NDA, and would not be asked of other individuals screening the film — including press and third-party marketing agencies. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for describes
  1. depicts
  2. tells
  3. characterizes
  4. portrays
  5. recounts
  6. defines
  7. illustrates
  8. relates
Verb
  • Golf equipment powerhouse Callaway ended its partnership with Good Good Golf amid the justified backlash over a video ad for a new Callaway driver that depicts a man aggressively shoving a woman to the ground.
    — Greg Cote August 30, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The portrait, painted during Rembrandt’s later years, depicts Catrina Hooghsaet, a wealthy Mennonite woman from Amsterdam, who lived apart from her husband.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of depicts
Verb
  • Despite Bret’s passionate insistence that his classmate is a serial killer, Croft tells him Robert is a good kid from a good family and sends him back to class.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The limited series tells the story of two sisters who go on the run after an act of vengeance goes wrong.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of tells
Verb
  • The research characterizes the industry as roughly two years behind travelers in adoption.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Pragmatism characterizes Taiwan’s approach to mainland China.
    — Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of characterizes
Verb
  • Amie Donald physically portrays M3GAN, with Jenna Davis providing the voice.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The film is directed by Gotham Chopra, portrays NBA superstar Stephen Curry reaching a record 4,000 three-pointers on the basketball court, and the shooting mastery behind the Golden State Warrior team leader’s sporting greatness.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of portrays
Verb
  • The star, playing an unnamed Narrator, recruits audience members to help act out a story about grief, as her character recounts her mother’s depression and suicide attempts.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In the book, Finch recounts how a tumultuous childhood at the hands of an abusive adoptive mom led her to want to escape her homelife.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of recounts
Verb
  • What defines these destinations is not just their beauty, but their balance.
    — Sofia Markovich, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping Pluto a dwarf planet better defines what a planet is and prevents an awkward situation in the future in which schoolchildren (and the rest of us) would have to remember upwards of 100 planets.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of defines
Verb
  • The episode illustrates a less visible part of keeping older military aircraft flying.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That, Manuel says, illustrates the class divide that has been so ingrained in the Philippines.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of illustrates
Verb
  • Each and every item relates in some way to the novel’s storyline, yet miraculously, many of the objects were sourced before the book was even written.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Holland’s Spider-Man relates more personally to everyone — friends and foes — than any other superhero; his scenes with the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Det.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of relates

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Cite this Entry

“Describes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/describes. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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