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)
-
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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Fish in a Tree
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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:
Prince William helps to narrate the video, which aims to tackle the stigma around mental health and suicide, with 7,000 lives being lost to suicide each year in the UK.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
After talking it through with her family and editor Elizabeth Méndez Berry, she warmed to the idea, realizing that the book didn’t have to just focus on her, that biography could also narrate community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
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
Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid thinks sometimes movies can change history; other times they simply narrate it.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
“You know, Albert, you kind of talk like those guys who narrate the movies at school. From the History Channel and stuff.”
From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The broadcaster, who turned 100 earlier this year, narrates the new six-part series exploring the darkest depths of the world's oceans, produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder "narrates" the show, explaining the various games to contestants.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
In her memoir, “Lab Girl,” Ms. Jahren narrates scientific struggles both dramatic and mundane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The centerpiece is the three minutes where Travis calmly narrates the plane crash interspersed with him drumming, amid flames, in a way that captures each emotional beat of what he went through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He narrates a series of events with the confidence that anyone looking at them will know what they imply, because the examples he has chosen are exact.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
At a launch event on Tuesday, Sir David said: "When I narrated the first Blue Planet series, it didn't occur to me that I would be narrating a third series in my centennial year."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
As the AI spools out its logic, step by step, this narrated sequence gives users reassurance that the AI is marching in an orderly fashion from one verifiable conclusion to the next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the tale of that Thursday’s spontaneous, viral resistance is narrated by its proud participants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
It centred around a slew of TikTok videos narrated by a distinctively "deep" and "lustrous" voice that Tsuda, 55, said can only be his.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
It is easy for you to see, no doubt, hearing the story like this, conveniently arranged and narrated.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
The main issue with “The Rouse” is the author’s strangely passive way of narrating events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
At a launch event on Tuesday, Sir David said: "When I narrated the first Blue Planet series, it didn't occur to me that I would be narrating a third series in my centennial year."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Bach said one simple way to do that is to use your phone to record a video as you walk through each room, narrating as you go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
He wants to get the Fed out of narrating its outlook, so as to avoid polluting market signals about that same outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
I was narrating Haiti on my own, in my mind, as I looked out the windshield.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
