1 narrate | Definition of narrate

narrate

verb
nar·​rate | \ ˈner-ˌāt How to pronounce narrate (audio) , ˈna-ˌrat, na-ˈrāt How to pronounce narrate (audio) \
narrated; narrating

Definition of narrate

transitive verb

: to tell (a story) in detail The children enjoyed the lively manner with which she narrated her life's story. also : to provide spoken commentary for (something, such as a movie or television show) The documentary is narrated by a famous actor.

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Other Words from narrate

narrator \ ˈner-​ˌā-​tər How to pronounce narrator (audio) , ˈna-​ˌrā-​ , na-​ˈrā-​ , nə-​ ; ˈner-​ə-​ , ˈna-​rə-​ \ noun

Examples of narrate in a Sentence

The author narrates her story in great detail. a documentary narrated by a famous actor

Recent Examples on the Web

The documentary uses more than 700 clips from 183 female filmmakers throughout history, and is narrated by Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda, Debra Winger and more. Halley Bondy, NBC News, "In the know: Women in the news 8/26-8/30," 30 Aug. 2019 The ad was narrated by Colin Kaepernick and has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial. Khadrice Rollins, SI.com, "Colin Kaepernick 'Dream Crazy' Nike Commercial Gets Nominated for 2019 Emmy," 17 July 2019 The film will be narrated by Jamie Foxx and chronicle Rodman’s Hall of Fame career and infamous exploits on and off the court. Los Angeles Times, "Column: U.S. women’s soccer needs investment in domestic league," 10 Aug. 2019 The StarTimes Dubbing Contest scoured African countries seeking out voice actors to be whisked to China to narrate new content. CNN, "How China is slowly expanding its power in Africa, one TV set at a time," 23 July 2019 The first season was narrated by Hannah, who dies in the final thirteenth episode, and left fans wondering what the heck a season 2 would look like now that our heroine was gone. Morgan Baila, refinery29.com, "These Are The New Tapes In 13 Reasons Why Season 2," 1 May 2018 Years later, thousands of backyard football games would be narrated by a kid doing his best Jackson impression. Andy Staples, SI.com, "The Voice of College Football, Keith Jackson Had a Visceral Effect on Fans," 13 Jan. 2018 The series will be narrated by the character the Watcher, played by Jeffrey Wright. Los Angeles Times, "Marvel’s phase 4 plans revealed at epic Comic-Con panel," 20 July 2019 Some of the pop-up performances have been narrated in Tagalog, the language of the city’s Filipino community. Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, "Amid upheavals, there’s good news in Hong Kong: Its ballet thrives," 10 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'narrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of narrate

1656, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for narrate

Latin narratus, past participle of narrare, from Latin gnarus knowing; akin to Latin gnoscere, noscere to know — more at know

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More Definitions for narrate

narrate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of narrate

: to tell (a story)
: to say the words that are heard as part of (a movie, television show, etc.) and that describe what is being seen : to do the narration for (something)

narrate

verb
nar·​rate | \ ˈner-ˌāt How to pronounce narrate (audio) , na-ˈrāt\
narrated; narrating

Kids Definition of narrate

: to tell in full detail Let me narrate the story of my adventure.

Other Words from narrate

narrator \ ˈner-​ˌā-​tər , na-​ˈrā-​ \ noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on narrate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with narrate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for narrate

Spanish Central: Translation of narrate

Nglish: Translation of narrate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of narrate for Arabic Speakers