narration

American  

[na-rey-shuhn] / næˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. something narrated; an account, story, or narrative.

2. the act or process of narrating.

3. a recital of events, especially in chronological order, as the story narrated in a poem or the exposition in a drama.

4. Rhetoric. (in classical speech) the third part, the exposition of the question.

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narration British  

/ nəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of narrating

2. a narrated account or story; narrative

3. (in traditional rhetoric) the third step in making a speech, the putting forward of the question

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narration Cultural  

1. The recounting of an event or series of events; the act of telling a story.

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Other Word Forms

• narrational
  adjective
• nonnarration
  noun

Etymology

Origin of narration

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin narrātiōn-, stem of narrātiō “narrative, story”; equivalent to narrate + -ion

Explanation

Narration is the act of telling a story, usually in some kind of chronological order. Making up a scary ghost story and relating it around a camp fire is an act of narration. Narration generally means any kind of explaining or telling of something. It is usually used in reference to storytelling. If you've ever watched a television show where one character's voice talks directly to the audience, then you've heard narration. You will often find narration happening in songs where the singer is telling the story of how something happened — like the day he lost his guitar, his truck, his wife, and started singing the blues.

Example Sentences

Narration discusses the bears getting to the “juicy goodness” of the whale under its thick skin before they must wash the blood off their fur after feasting.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2022

The item ships in two days or less on Amazon Prime, and if you’re feeling generous, throw in a Kindle Unlimited digital subscription, so your sweetheart can enjoy unlimited reading and audiobooks with Audible Narration.

From Fox News • Feb. 7, 2022

Narration in the story may be in the past tense—the narrator tells the story as though it has already happened—but your discussion of the literary work is done in the present tense.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Narration from Frederick Douglass provides his eulogy: “John Brown’s zeal for the cause of freedom was infinitely superior to mine. I could live for the slave, John Brown could die for him.”

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2020

Narration isn’t the most exciting part of a speech— but it can be subtly influential on its outcome.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• anecdote
• narrative
• tale
• voice-over