gerund or present participle
Saying what a person, place, thing, or situation is like by using words.
Maya is describing the painting to her class.
He is describing the new apartment as bright and quiet.
American English
How to pronounce describing
verbA2Very common word
dihSKRAIbihng
/dɪˈskɹaɪ.bɪŋ/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of describe
This -ing form can be used after be to show an action in progress or as the name of the activity.
Saying what a person, place, thing, or situation is like by using words.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
gerund or present participle
Giving the important details about an event or experience, especially what happened.
The witness is describing what happened after the crash.
We are describing our trip to our friends.
Useful expressions
say that a person or thing has a particular quality or identity
She described the job as stressful.
give many specific details about something
Please describe the damage in detail.
say what kind of person you are
I would describe myself as patient.
Related words & forms
Before -ing, drop the final e: describing, not describeing.