narrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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narrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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narrated,
past participle, past
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narrating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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narrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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narrated,
past participle, past
-
narrating
present participle
verb
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to tell (a story); relate
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to speak in accompaniment of (a film, television programme, etc)
Synonym Usage
See describe.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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narraternoun
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narratornoun
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misnarrateverb
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narratableadjective
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unnarratableadjective
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unnarratedadjective
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well-narratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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narratesimple
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narratessimple
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have narratedperfect
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has narratedperfect
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am narratingprogressive
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are narratingprogressive
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is narratingprogressive
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have been narratingperfect progressive
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has been narratingperfect progressive
Past
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narratedsimple
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had narratedperfect
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was narratingprogressive
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were narratingprogressive
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had been narratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of narrate
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin narrātus (past participle of narrāre ”to relate, tell, say”), equivalent to nār(us) “knowing, acquainted with” (variant of gnārus; see cognition) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you tell a story or describe something out loud, you narrate. You might hire a well-known actor to narrate your documentary film about circus elephants. One way to narrate is to comment on or describe visual images — photographs or scenes in a film, for example. You can also narrate a story simply by relaying the details aloud. In books, a character sometimes narrates the story as well. It appears that narration, or the action of telling a story, came before narrate, from the Latin root narrare, "to tell, relate, or recount," or literally, "to make acquainted with."
Vocabulary lists containing narrate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Since first emerging online in 2019 on the online bulletin board 4chan, the Backrooms phenomenon has expanded across Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and gaming platforms, where users collectively map, narrate and extend its mythology.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
As the concert began to draw to a close, the BBC announced that Sir David will soon narrate another new natural history series, Blue Planet III.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Giroux said, It is an attempt to discipline public memory by intimidating those who refuse to narrate the nation as innocent.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
Veteran British actor Emma Thompson, who is set to narrate the audiobook in English, is one of numerous celebrity admirers.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
I need not narrate in detail the further struggles I had, and arguments I used, to get matters regarding the legacy settled as I wished.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Actor-writer Lena Dunham’s voice cracks with emotion in ways “Girls” fans will recognize as she narrates “Famesick,” a memoir of her work, loves and controversies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
In “Young Men and Fire” he vividly narrates how a wildfire the crew initially expected to control suddenly erupts into a “blowup,” a wall of flame racing uphill faster than the young men can run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Kelly: He narrates his father’s book, “Profiles in Courage,” and that for me was a great asset.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
“Furious at the coverage,” Aaron narrates the story, “Diahann asked me, ‘Why don’t they print the lovely things I have to say about Xavier?’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Olakunde narrates always with looks of the greatest solemnity, but raveled deep in his demeanor is his joy in telling these tales, and to an audience so delighted with his testimony.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
And unlike the television version, the novel is narrated entirely by Jonasi's wives.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Audiobook platform ElevenReader, whose investors include actor Matthew McConaughey, even launched a version last month narrated by an AI-generated voice modeled after Michael Caine.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The popular content creator, who narrated BBC Three's I Kissed A Girl, previously hosted the Early Breakfast show for a period last summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
And so it was with Hollywood, which over the course of four decades translated some of McMurtry’s best work for film, episodes narrated with élan by Mr. Streitfeld.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
He liked to talk about Graham Greene, the British novelist, and his novel on Haiti, The Comedians, which narrated the story of the Duvaliers and their secret police.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Igby Rigney plays Ellis in “The Shards,” narrating from the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
As the first plane in their journey ascends, Travolta’s distinct voice no longer feels like he’s narrating for a character.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
On audio, narrating her memoir “Famesick,” her voice is, alas, all grating, all the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
“When this work makes you fall apart,” says J.D., narrating, “someone is there to patch you up.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
He was narrating the whole time, I think, but I couldn’t hear a thing besides the blood rushing in my ears.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
