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

While Armitage has kept his dating life private, Jim Parsons — who narrated the series — first met his husband, Todd Spiewak, on a blind karaoke date in 2002. —Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026

Festivities kicked off with a trailer narrated by Uma Thurman (objectively cool), and a handful of mostly uncompetitive undercard bouts (save the always game and bloodied Nate Diaz), the crowd loudly booing MVP promoter Jake Paul at his own event, and the graphic getting Rousey’s age wrong. —Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 May 2026

Liu also narrates the film, which premieres as part of the fest’s Immersive Competition. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026

Many of the letters narrate his thoughts that were a strange mixture of fatalism and optimism. —Literary Hub, 14 May 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