INDEX:
1. to describe someone or something
2. to describe someone or something in a way that shows your opinion
3. a written or spoken description
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ DETAIL
↑ TELL
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1. to describe someone or something
▷ describe /dɪˈskraɪb/ [transitive verb]
to talk or write about a person, place, event etc, saying what they are like and giving details about them :
▪ Could you try and describe the man you saw?
▪ In her book, she describes her journey across the Sahara.
describe somebody/something as
▪ Police described the attack as particularly violent.
describe somebody/something to somebody
▪ I tried to describe the feeling to my doctor, but she didn’t understand.
describe how/what
▪ It’s difficult to describe how I felt.
▷ give a description of /ˌgɪv ə dɪˈskrɪpʃ ə n ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to describe someone or something, especially by giving details about what they look like :
▪ King gave a detailed description of a dark-haired muscular man to police.
▪ The brochure gives a general description of the island and some of the things you can do there.
▷ talk about /ˈtɔːk əbaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to describe something that you have seen or experienced by talking to people about it :
▪ Grandma always talks about the way they used to live on the farm.
▪ You should talk about your problems with someone - maybe they can help you.
▷ write about /ˈraɪt əbaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to describe a person, place, event, situation etc by writing about it :
▪ Have the children write about what they did last summer.
▪ Purcell wrote about his son’s illness for a popular magazine.
▷ what somebody/something is like /wɒt somebody/something ɪz ˈlaɪk/ spoken
use this when you are asking someone to describe someone or something to you or when you are describing someone or something to them :
▪ ‘I’ve just met Anna’s new boyfriend.’ ‘What’s he like?’
▪ I’ll try and explain to you what being in prison was like.
▷ give an account of /ˌgɪv ən əˈkaʊnt ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to describe something that happened, giving only the facts and not adding your own feelings or opinions :
▪ Please give a brief account of your previous work experience.
▪ The second witness gave a similar account of what happened.
▷ tell of /ˈtel ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb] written
to describe an event, situation etc, especially as though it was a story, in order to make it sound more exciting or impressive :
▪ Many of the prisoners have told of the terrible conditions they were kept in and how they were beaten.
tell somebody of
▪ In the evenings Morris would tell us of his youth spent in Europe.
2. to describe someone or something in a way that shows your opinion
▷ describe something/somebody as /dɪˈskraɪb something/somebody æz/ [verb phrase]
to describe someone or something in a particular way that shows your opinion of them :
▪ I wouldn’t describe the job as boring, just a little repetitive sometimes.
▪ John describes himself as the intelligent but shy type.
▪ De la Cruz is described as Mexico’s greatest woman poet.
▷ characterize somebody/something as /ˈkærɪktəraɪz , ˈkærəktəraɪz somebody/something æz/ [verb phrase]
to describe the character of someone or something in a particular way, especially with the result that people believe it to be true when it may not be :
▪ A reporter characterized Mrs. Clinton as the most controversial first lady in modern history.
▪ She grew up in a small Wisconsin community which she characterizes as conservative.
▷ label /ˈleɪb ə l/ [transitive verb]
to describe someone or something in a negative way, especially incorrectly or unfairly :
▪ Children who are labelled ‘slow’ usually get less attention from teachers.
▪ Critics have unfairly labelled Young a racist.
label somebody/something as
▪ Campbell has labelled the commission’s recommendations as sheer nonsense.
▷ portray/represent /pɔːʳˈtreɪ, ˌreprɪˈzent/ [transitive verb] formal
to describe someone or something in a particular way, especially in a way that makes people have an untrue idea of what they are like :
▪ The magazine has been criticized for the way it portrays women.
portray/represent somebody/something as
▪ The treatment has been portrayed as a painless way of curing cancer, which is untrue.
▪ Police have represented her as a willing participant in the crimes.
▷ depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ [transitive verb]
to describe someone or something, especially in writing, by providing a lot of details which give a very true idea of what they are like :
▪ His stories depict life in Trinidad as seen through the eyes of a young boy.
depict somebody/something as
▪ In this new biography she is depicted as a lonely and unhappy woman.
▷ paint a picture /ˌpeɪnt ə ˈpɪktʃəʳ/ [verb phrase]
paint a bleak/grim/rosy etc picture
to describe in a very pleasant or very unpleasant way, which may be very different from the truth :
paint a picture of
▪ My uncle’s letters generally painted a rosy picture of how things were.
▪ He went on to paint a discouraging picture of the problems facing the state.
3. a written or spoken description
▷ description /dɪˈskrɪpʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
what you say or write when you are describing a person, place, or thing :
description of
▪ Write a description of someone you know well.
give somebody a description
▪ Tom gave the police a description of his car.
a full/detailed description
containing all the important details
▪ You can read a detailed description of the products on their Web site.
▷ report /rɪˈpɔːʳt/ [countable noun]
a description of a situation or event, based on a study of the facts, that provides people with information about it and also tries to explain it :
▪ The report is based on visits to schools in five cities.
report on
▪ Amnesty International released another report on the government’s use of torture.
newspaper/news/television report
▪ News reports suggest that over 300 people may have died.
▷ account /əˈkaʊnt/ [countable noun]
a written or spoken description of something that happened :
account of
▪ The newspaper printed a detailed account of the trial.
give an account
▪ In the magazine, Cook gives a colorful account of his first meeting with Hamilton.
▷ commentary /ˈkɒmənt ə riǁˈkɑːmənteri/ [countable noun]
a spoken description of an event such as a race or sports event which is given while it is happening, especially on the radio or television :
▪ Joe Garagiola will provide the commentary tonight on Channel 7.
commentary on
▪ Now let’s go over to our London studio for commentary on the wrestling.
running commentary
a continuous commentary all the time that something is happening
▪ Sarah was looking out the window and giving us a running commentary on what was happening in the street.
▷ portrayal /pɔːʳˈtreɪəl/ [countable noun]
a description of a person, thing, place etc that deliberately chooses particular details about them in order to make people form a particular opinion about them, especially a bad opinion :
portrayal of
▪ Many have criticized Hollywood for its unrealistic portrayal of life in America.
portrayal of somebody/something as
▪ I cannot accept the article’s portrayal of these men as bloodthirsty terrorists.
▷ descriptive /dɪˈskrɪptɪv/ [adjective]
a piece of writing that is descriptive contains a lot of details describing what someone or something is like, rather than telling a story or describing events :
▪ The book contains many fine descriptive passages about everyday life in China.
▪ When you write your paragraph, include as many descriptive details as possible.
▷ profile /ˈprəʊfaɪl/ [countable noun]
a short description of someone’s life, work, and character, especially of someone famous, that is written in a newspaper, shown on television etc :
profile of
▪ Every week the magazine presents the profile of a well-known sports personality.
▪ I heard a fascinating profile of Madeleine Albright on the radio yesterday.