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

D’Angelo is the latest buzzy star to narrate a Quinn original. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026

Letting Becket narrate the entire outing sure doesn’t help, adding a structure that isn’t just boring, but also confusing. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026

Without spoken language to narrate, relying only on vocal reactions, noises, and music to mark atmospheres and culminating moments, we were challenged from pre-production to find more graphic narrative solutions, starting with the storyboards, character design and background art. —Kevin Giraud, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026

Juliette Lewis swaps bodies with a chair in this new surrealist vision from writer-director Amanda Kramer (Please Baby Please) narrated by Melanie Griffith and co-starring Mamoudou Athie (Kinds of Kindness), Samantha Mathis (American Psycho) and Robin Tunney (The Craft). —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026

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