describe
describe — 動詞
1. to explain in words what a person, object, event, or situation is like, giving e
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.
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
Can you describe the type of pain you feel — sharp, dull, or burning?
你能描述一下你感受到的疼痛類型嗎——是刺痛、悶痛還是灼痛？
Tamar described her new apartment as small but cozy with lots of natural light.
Tamar 形容她的新公寓雖小卻很舒適，而且採光很好。
- 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
- 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
2. to follow the outline of a geometric form such as a circle or an arc, either by
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.
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。
Using a compass, Kenji described a perfect circle on the sheet of paper.
Kenji 用圓規在紙上畫出一個完美的圓形。
The eagle described a wide circle in the air before diving toward its prey.
那隻老鷹在空中盤旋了一大圈，然後俯衝向獵物。
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
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.
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。
The team described several new insects collected from caves in northern Vietnam.
該研究團隊描述了在越南北部洞穴中採集到的幾種新型昆蟲。
Dr. Trang described the lizard and published its scientific name in a zoology journal.
Trang 博士描述了這種蜥蜴，並在動物學期刊上發表了它的學名。
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.