narrate

verb

nar·​rate ˈner-ˌāt 

ˈna-ˌrat,

na-ˈrāt 

narrated; narrating

transitive verb

: to tell (a story) in detail

The children enjoyed the lively manner with which she narrated her life's story.

also : to provide spoken commentary for (something, such as a movie or television show)

The documentary is narrated by a famous actor.

narrator

ˈner-ˌā-tər 

ˈna-ˌrā-

na-ˈrā-

nə-;

ˈner-ə-

ˈna-rə-

noun

Synonyms

• chart
• chronicle
• describe
• recite
• recount
• rehearse
• relate
• report
• tell

Examples of narrate in a Sentence

The author narrates her story in great detail.

a documentary narrated by a famous actor

Recent Examples on the Web

Tea leaves Speaking of Durant, the former Warriors star narrated a commercial for his KD 17 sneakers starring Thunder center Chet Holmgren. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2024

French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant narrates the film with voice acting from Dominique Blanc, Denis Podalydès, and Grégory Gadebois. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024

The actor also narrated the Audible podcast Sleep Sound with Noah Reid. —Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024

The book is narrated by Al, a humbler colleague bemusedly observing Glick’s rise, and the frisson between the two underscores the inherent tension in moviemaking: How cruel people can be for the sake of making something that captures our hearts. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

But the events in the show are narrated from a distinctly Vietnamese perspective—the series opens by reminding viewers that, in Vietnam, the conflict is called the American War. —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

On one highlight from the new album, Wolf narrates a real-life solo trip to Art Basel, where she was invited to attend a Playboy party. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024

In the exclusive clip from Secrets of the Octopus shared with PEOPLE, Rudd narrates a mimic octopus' treacherous journey through the ocean in search of food. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

As Iger narrated a video describing the company’s core operations and future plans, the message was crystal clear: Who else at this fraught moment for media is equipped to run the Walt Disney Co.? —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin narratus, past participle of narrare, from Latin gnarus knowing; akin to Latin gnoscere, noscere to know — more at know

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

narrate

verb

nar·​rate ˈna(ə)r-ˌāt  na-ˈrāt 

narrated; narrating

: relate sense 1, tell

narrate a story

narrator

ˈna(ə)r-ˌāt-ər 

na-ˈrāt-

nə-;

ˈnar-ət-

noun