describe

IPA/dɪˈskraɪb/
KK[dɪskrˈaɪb]IPA/dɪˈskraɪb/

describe — 動詞

  • 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

描述

用言語說明人或事物的樣子

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.

Nikhil 詳細描述了他的京都之旅,還給我們看了每座寺廟的照片。

describe + noun + in detail [collocation]

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

目擊者描述嫌疑犯個子很高,穿著一件深色夾克。

describe + noun + as + complement

常見搭配
  • describe in detail
  • describe vividly
  • describe accurately
  • describe as
  • describe to someone
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

畫出;描繪

畫出或移動形成某種形狀

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.

舞者的手臂在表演中畫出一道優美的弧線,高舉過頭頂。

describe + arc [geometric shape]

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

那顆彗星在消失前,沿著夜空畫出一道長長的弧形軌跡。

常見搭配
  • describe a circle
  • describe an arc
  • describe a curve
  • describe a path
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

鑑定命名

發現新物種並賦予學名

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.

生物學家 Jabari 將這種青蛙描述為產於馬達加斯加的新物種。

describe + as + new species [biology domain]

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

Eshe 將在雨林中發現的那種稀有蕨類植物歸類為前所未見的物種。

常見搭配
  • describe a species
  • describe a specimen
  • newly described
  • first described by
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.

同根字

常見搭配

常用片語

  • hard to describe
  • difficult to describe
  • describe in detail
  • describe as follows

介系詞搭配