narrate

American  

[nar-eyt, na-reyt] / ˈnær eɪt, næˈreɪt /

verb (used with object)

narrated, narrating

1. to give an account or tell the story of (events, experiences, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   recite, detail

2. to add a spoken commentary to (a film, television program, etc.).

   The Oscar-winning actor recently produced and narrated a new documentary on climate change.

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verb (used without object)

narrated, narrating

1. to relate or recount events, experiences, etc., in speech or writing.

narrate British  

/ nəˈreɪt /

verb

1. to tell (a story); relate

2. to speak in accompaniment of (a film, television programme, etc)

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Related Words

See describe.

Other Word Forms

• misnarrate verb
• narratable adjective
• narrater noun
• narrator noun
• unnarratable adjective
• unnarrated adjective
• well-narrated adjective

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; cognition ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Without it, he hugged himself around the knees and let Isadora narrate him through a few more of the notes.

From Literature

"Inner speech is the voice in your head that silently narrates your thoughts - what you're doing, planning, or noticing," he says.

From Science Daily

Fox News in 2018 launched Fox Nation, which intended to complement the network’s offerings with programming such as “The Saints,” a docudrama narrated by Martin Scorsese.

From The Wall Street Journal

The novel is narrated by a writer called Julian who has blood cancer, who lives in north London and whose wife has died of a brain tumour.

From BBC

She said the ability to clone human voices is becoming more sophisticated and could change authors’ interest in narrating their own stories.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chronicle
• depict
• portray
• recite
• recount
• rehearse
• unfold