For example, the word circus is used to describe any noisy place with a lot of activities going on.

VOA: special.2009.01.11

But the word hacker is also used to describe a person who tries to steal information from computer systems.

VOA: special.2009.04.19

The word comes from the word "Arab" and is a design term used to describe flowing lines and geometric patterns.

VOA: special.2009.03.11

The term today most often is used to describe a powerful machine designed to clear away trees and other big objects.

VOA: special.2009.02.15

"Terroir" is the word used to describe how a vineyard's soil and climate give a wine special qualities.

VOA: special.2010.10.13

The expression may be used to describe a politician's last campaign, his final attempt to win the cheers and votes of the people.

VOA: special.2010.04.11

It was used to describe members of Congress who declared war on Britain in eighteen twelve.

VOA: special.2009.11.08

Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang.

VOA: special.2009.11.29

Yet the expression also can be used to describe the top person in any area.

VOA: special.2009.11.29

The word kick sometimes is used to describe a complaint or some kind of dissatisfaction.

VOA: special.2011.06.05

This term was soon used to describe army supplies in general that were government issue.

VOA: special.2009.09.25

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy.

VOA: special.2010.05.23

Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather.

VOA: special.2010.05.30

Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east.

VOA: special.2010.05.23

In seventeen ninety-seven, the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported.

VOA: special.2010.08.08

Edgar Allan Poe did something unusual for writers of his time: he used a narrator in a story to describe what was happening.

VOA: special.2009.02.02

The expression was first used in the southern part of the United States to describe the use of force to win an election.

VOA: special.2009.02.15

It is used sometimes to describe a political move that leads to an unexpected win.

VOA: special.2009.02.15

After the American Civil War in the eighteen sixties, a writer in a publication called Beadles Monthly used the word doughboy to describe Civil War soldiers.

VOA: special.2010.03.07

Furlong used the word "bizarre" to describe the weather on Cypress Mountain for this time of year, and added that safety comes first.

VOA: standard.2010.02.16