Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb describe

4 senses of describe

Sense 1
describe, depict, draw -- (give a description of; "He drew an elaborate plan of attack")
       => set forth, expound, exposit -- (state; "set forth one's reasons")

Sense 2
report, describe, account -- (to give an account or representation of in words; "Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental")
       => inform -- (impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights")

Sense 3
trace, draw, line, describe, delineate -- (make a mark or lines on a surface; "draw a line"; "trace the outline of a figure in the sand")
       => mark -- (make or leave a mark on; "the scouts marked the trail"; "ash marked the believers' foreheads")

Sense 4
identify, discover, key, key out, distinguish, describe, name -- (identify as in botany or biology, for example)