MEANING
To notice or make out something difficult to see.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- descry a distant shape
- descry through mist
On the page
She descried a mast beyond the mist.
From the tower, he could descry a single light in the marsh.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- descry
- Past tense
- descried
- Past participle
- descried
- Present participle
- descrying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- descry
- Present continuous
- am/is/are descrying
- Present perfect
- have/has descried
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been descrying
- Past
- descried
- Past continuous
- was/were descrying
- Past perfect
- had descried
- Past perfect continuous
- had been descrying
- Future
- will descry
- Future continuous
- will be descrying
- Future perfect
- will have descried
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been descrying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: descry; descries; descried; descried; descrying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: descries.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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