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

Example Sentences

That idea starts with Ann Forsyte’s table-setting narration, a la Lady Whistledown in “Bridgerton.”

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

“When there’s no narration, people stop listening and start noticing,” Harjo said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

In terse, precise narration that provides most of our chances to hear her voice, Melania says that this will be a movie about “family, business, philanthropy and becoming first lady of the United States, again.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

The Dalai Lama won a Grammy for audio, narration and storytelling for his audiobook "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama".

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

When his narration reached his moving to Boston to live with his half- sister Ella, Malcolm X began to laugh about how “square” he had been in the ghetto streets.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• anecdote
• narrative
• tale
• voice-over