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 of narrate

• describe
• tell
• recount
• chronicle
• relate

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

In just 96 minutes, the film, directed by Marshall Curry and narrated by Julianne Moore, lays out the fabled history of The New Yorker. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Hugh Bonneville narrates this intimate and emotional look at the powerful relationships between these animals and the heroic humans dedicated to raising, rehabilitating, and rewilding them to help save their species. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 30 Nov. 2025

The story is narrated by Professor Pierre Aronnax and includes plenty of underwater exploits and proper dramatic beats that explore man's relationship with nature, political resistance, and the weight of hate and revenge. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Nov. 2025

In the clip, Pree narrates the story of how the little cat came back to her. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 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