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REFERENCE

describe

v.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //dɪsˈkɹaɪb// UK //dɪskɹˈaɪb// de·scribe Archaic General-service

v. to say or write what someone or something is like. You use this when you give details about an event, a person, or an object so others can picture it.

v. to give a detailed account in words of someone or something, including relevant characteristics, qualities, or events.


SIMPLE

She describes her new job as challenging but rewarding.

CONTEXTUAL

The witness tried to describe the getaway car to the police, noting its unusual color and a large dent in the door.

COMPLEX

In her latest novel, the author describes the harsh winter landscape with such vivid precision that the reader can almost feel the biting wind and the crunch of frozen snow.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English descriven, from Old French descrivre, from Latin dēscrībō (“to copy off, transcribe, sketch off, describe in painting or writing”), from dē (“off”) + scrībō (“write”); see scribe and shrive. Displaced native Old English āmearcian.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, often followed by a prepositional phrase starting with 'as' to indicate a specific role or quality.

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