describe as

describe (someone or something) as (something)

To make a descriptive statement about someone or something. Anyone who describes you as "shy" must not know you very well, chatterbox! I wouldn't describe the car as "new" per se—but don't worry, it's in very good condition. Art is so subjective, though. What you describe as hideous, I might think is stunning.
See also: describe
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

describe someone or something as something

to describe or portray a person or a thing as something or as being in some particular state. Would you describe her as a woman of average height? We described the building as a collection of contemporary architectural clichés.
See also: describe
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in classic literature ?
We may, for example, be able to describe a person's appearance correctly without having at any time had any image of him, provided, when we saw him, we thought of words which fitted him; the words alone may remain with us as a habit, and enable us to speak as if we could recall a visual image of the man.