Skip to main content
to narrate

to narrate

59 4.0
To tell a story, usually by speaking or writing
  • verb
  • /nəˈreɪt/
translation icon : narrar
  • Do you ever feel like you're narrating your own life watching it play in front of you like an episode of television?
  • narrate a story
  • narrate events
  • narrated by a narrator

Well, Josh likes to come in and start narrating my life, right?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And yes, there is an audio book and yes, I did narrate it myself.

  • The teacher will narrate the story to the class, bringing the characters to life.

  • And more than that, a lot of them narrate as they create.

  • The question is, for whom am I narrating this?

  • Aware of their audience of one, Frank and Bea narrate the family legacy with a sense of critical distance.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Bea then takes an extended turn to narrate a disturbing experience she had as a young woman.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Martin, without revealing his source, narrated what he had been told that morning.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Fortunately, he did not die and was able to narrate the tragic story to the villagers.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • James Franco narrates it and what a treat that is.

  • In pop songs, the verse's lyrics often narrate the story, while the chorus crystallizes the theme.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

to tell
vsto narrate
1.0

Talk about events or stories

can also describe events in writing or as show commentary
to tell a story
vsto narrate
84 1.1

To describe things that happened, real or made up, to other people

is broader, also used for live performance commentary
to recount
vsto narrate
83 4.1

To tell someone about something you experienced in detail

is less focused on personal detail and includes performance commentary
to tell stories
vsto narrate
73 1.4

Talk about events, real or imagined, to other people

includes that but also covers descriptive commentary during shows
to recite
vsto narrate
28 3.3

List facts or items one after another

focuses more on storytelling or descriptive live commentary than listing
to tell a tale
vsto narrate
3 3.5

Say a story about something that happened or show signs of it

is more general, applying to both literal accounts and live commentary
to commentate
vsto narrate
  • Literature
2 7.0

To describe an event while it happens on radio or TV

is wider, covering both storytelling and live event commentary

How Detailed

to chronicle
70 5.7
to recount
83 4.1
to narrate
59 4.0
to relate
58 2.9
to tell
1.0
to note
951 1.6
to mention
1.0

Surface Forms

narrate infinitive
narrated past
narrated past participle
narrating present participle
narrates third person singular

Morphology

narrate = narr + ate

The verb is built from the Latinate combining form 'narr-' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ate'; because 'narr-' is not a standalone English word, learners may not reliably infer the meaning from components alone, though related forms (narration, narrator) make the relation somewhat recoverable.

Etymology

Narrate comes from the Latin word narrare, which means 'to tell'. Think of narrator and narrative, which share the same root, so to narrate is simply to tell a story or describe events, like the voice that guides a film.