Explain vs. Describe — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Explain and Describe
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Definitions
Explain
Make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts
He explained the situation
‘It's a device of great age,’ the professor explained
They explained that their lives centred on the religious rituals
Describe
To give an account of in speech or writing
Describe a sea voyage.
Explain
To make plain or comprehensible.
Describe
To convey an idea or impression of; characterize
She described her childhood as a time of wonder and discovery.
Explain
To define; expound
We explained our plan to the committee.
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Describe
To represent pictorially; depict
Goya's etchings describe the horrors of war in grotesque detail.
Explain
To offer reasons for or a cause of; justify
Explain an error.
Describe
To trace the form or outline of
Describe a circle with a compass.
Explain
To offer reasons for the actions, beliefs, or remarks of (oneself).
Describe
(transitive) To represent in words.
The feeling is difficult to describe, but not unpleasant.
The geographer describes countries and cities.
Several witnesses describe seeing lights in the sky that night.
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Explain
To make something plain or comprehensible
Let me explain.
Describe
(transitive) To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out.
To describe a circle by the compasses;
A torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle
Explain
To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of.
She is about to explain a chapter of the Bible to the Sunday School students.
She tried to explain but he wouldn’t listen.
Describe
To give rise to a geometrical structure.
The function describes a very complex surface.
Explain
To give a valid excuse for past behavior.
Describe
To introduce a new taxon to science by explaining its characteristics and particularly how it differs from other taxa.
The fungus was first described by a botanist.
Explain
(obsolete) To make flat, smooth out.
Describe
(obsolete) To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class.
Explain
(obsolete) To unfold or make visible.
Describe
To represent by drawing; to draw a plan of; to delineate; to trace or mark out; as, to describe a circle by the compasses; a torch waved about the head in such a way as to describe a circle.
Explain
(intransitive) To make something plain or intelligible.
Describe
To represent by words written or spoken; to give an account of; to make known to others by words or signs; as, the geographer describes countries and cities.
Explain
To flatten; to spread out; to unfold; to expand.
The horse-chestnut is . . . ready to explain its leaf.
Describe
To distribute into parts, groups, or classes; to mark off; to class.
Passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book.
Explain
To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to expound; to unfold and illustrate the meaning of; as, to explain a chapter of the Bible.
Commentators to explain the difficult passages to you.
Describe
To use the faculty of describing; to give a description; as, Milton describes with uncommon force and beauty.
Explain
To give an explanation.
Describe
Give a description of;
He drew an elaborate plan of attack
Explain
Make palin and comprehensible;
He explained the laws of physics to his students
Describe
To give an account or representation of in words;
Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental
Explain
Define;
The committe explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean
Describe
Identify as in botany or biology, for example
Explain
Serve as a reason or cause or justification of;
Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work
Her recent divorce amy explain her reluctance to date again
Describe
Make a mark or lines on a surface;
Draw a line
Trace the outline of a figure in the sand
