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

• 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

One person narrates the story, and each player improvises their part. —Scott Greenstone, NPR, 7 Aug. 2025

The proverbial good cop to Valdez’s bad cop, D’Amico narrates one of Lucius’ most significant offstage moments, similarly to Mary Jane’s monologues about Angel. —Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

The actress, who starred in 2002 film, will narrate a special 50th Anniversary Edition of Tuck Everlasting, scheduled for release on Sept. 2, 2025. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025

The award-winning performer, 38, will narrate a new audio edition of Gregory Maguire’s novel Elphie: A Wicked Childhood — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first listen. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 24 July 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