describe
/dis'kraib/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To give an account or representation of something in words: To use language to create a detailed picture or explanation of a person, object, event, or concept.
- To draw or trace the outline of a figure: To mark out a shape or line, often in a literal, physical sense.
Usage
- The primary use of "describe" is to convey detailed information about something through spoken or written words. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the thing being described).
- It is used to answer questions like "What is it like?" or "What happened?" by providing characteristics, features, or a sequence of events.
Examples
- Verb:
- Can you describe the suspect to the police? (You are asked to give a verbal account of the suspect's appearance.)
- The author beautifully describes the sunset over the mountains. (The author uses words to create a vivid picture of the sunset.)
- The witness described the accident in great detail. (The witness gave a verbal report of how the accident happened.)
- He used a compass to describe a perfect circle on the paper. (He physically traced the outline of a circle.)
Advanced Usage
- "Describe as": To label or characterize someone or something in a specific way.
- She described the experience as terrifying. (She characterized the experience with the quality of being terrifying.)
- "Describe in detail": To provide a very thorough and comprehensive account.
- The manual describes the assembly process in detail.
- "Beyond description": (Idiomatic) Something so extreme or amazing that words are insufficient to convey it.
- The beauty of the landscape was beyond description.
Variants and Related Words
- Description (n): A spoken or written account that describes.
- He gave a detailed description of the car.
- Descriptive (adj): Serving or aiming to describe.
- She wrote a very descriptive essay about her hometown.
- Indescribable (adj): Too unusual, extreme, or indefinite to be adequately described.
- The pain was indescribable.
Synonyms
- Portray: To depict or describe in a particular way, often in art or literature.
- Depict: To represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form, or to describe in words.
- Detail: To describe item by item; to give the particulars of.
- Narrate: To give a spoken or written account of events; to tell a story.
Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "Describe" does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically modified by prepositions like "as" or "to," as shown in advanced usage.)
Related Idioms
- Describe to a T: To describe something perfectly or with great accuracy.
- The child described the lost dog to a T.
Verb
- identify as in botany or biology, for example
- make a mark or lines on a surface
- draw a line
- trace the outline of a figure in the sand
- to give an account or representation of in words
- Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental
- give a description of
- He drew an elaborate plan of attack