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

The 2007 teen drama centered on a group of wealthy high school students at an exclusive prep school on Manhattan's Upper East Side terrorized by a mysterious and vicious blogger (narrated by Kristen Bell) who spilled all of their secrets. —EW.com, 19 June 2025

This collection was adapted into the perennial Christmas classic A Christmas Story, which Shepherd narrated. —Brian Boone, Vulture, 18 June 2025

Those unsung misfits finally get their moment in Underdogs, a new five-part wildlife series narrated by Ryan Reynolds. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

While casting the show, premiering on Wednesday, few on the production team knew that Carter had already been on a long date with Mitford—seven hours and 38 minutes, to be exact—having narrated her most celebrated novel, The Pursuit of Love (1945), for Audible in 2021. —Air Mail, 14 June 2025

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

Rhymes for narrate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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