describe

/dɪˈskraɪb/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈskraɪb/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈskrīb/ (ame, mw)

describe — verb

  • describepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • describeshe / she / it
  • describedpast simple
  • describing-ing form

1. to explain in words what a person, object, event, or situation is like, giving e

1.動詞及物A2
釋義

to explain in words what a person, object, event, or situation is like, giving enough detail so that someone else can form a clear picture of it in their mind.

例句

Nikhil described his trip to Kyoto in great detail, showing us photos of every temple.

describe + noun + in detail [collocation]

The witness described the suspect as tall and wearing a dark jacket.

describe + noun + as + complement

同義詞
  • portray

    more vivid and artistic; often used for creating a strong visual or emotional impression in stories or paintings

  • depict

    more formal than describe; can be used for both visual and verbal representation

  • characterize

    focuses on the most distinctive qualities of someone or something

反義詞
  • conceal

    to hide information rather than reveal it through description

文法句型

describe + noun/pronoun

describe + noun + as + noun/adjective

describe + wh-clause

用法筆記

Frequently used in the pattern 'describe + object + as + complement' to report someone's characterization of something. Unlike 'tell', describe does not take an indirect object directly — you say 'describe something to someone', not 'describe someone something'.

常見錯誤

❌She described about her vacation in detail.
✅She described her vacation in detail.
💡describe is transitive and does not take a preposition before the object.
❌He described me the movie.
✅He described the movie to me.
💡describe cannot take an indirect object without the preposition 'to'.

2. to follow the outline of a geometric form such as a circle or an arc, either by

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to follow the outline of a geometric form such as a circle or an arc, either by drawing it or by moving along its course.

例句

The dancer's arms described a graceful arc above her head during the performance.

describe + arc [geometric shape]

The comet described a long curved path across the night sky before disappearing.

同義詞
  • trace

    more general and less formal; suggests following the outline of a shape

  • delineate

    very formal; suggests drawing or marking something with precision

文法句型

describe + noun (shape/arc/circle/curve)

用法筆記

Almost always used with a geometric shape or path as the object — circle, arc, curve, or line are the most common nouns. This sense is largely restricted to formal, literary, or technical writing.

3. to examine a living thing that scientists have not previously recorded, determin

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

to examine a living thing that scientists have not previously recorded, determine that it belongs to a new species, and assign it an official scientific name in a published work.

例句

The biologist Jabari described the frog as a new species native to Madagascar.

describe + as + new species [biology domain]

Eshe described the rare fern she found in the rainforest as a previously unknown type.

同義詞
  • classify

    focuses on placing an organism into a category rather than formally naming it as new

  • identify

    broader; can mean recognizing an already-known species rather than naming a new one

文法句型

describe + noun (species/specimen)

describe + noun + as + new species

用法筆記

Used exclusively in scientific taxonomy, especially biology and botany. The object is always a species, genus, or specimen. This sense is rarely encountered outside academic journals or specialized texts.