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

One local Philadelphia example is Wanda Steward, who narrated original stories for her children based on the pictures in books before attending an adult literacy program and writing her own children’s book. — Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

The actor and screenwriter, 63, will narrate the audiobook of Ari Emanuel’s upcoming memoir Roll the Calls, PEOPLE can exclusively announce. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026

Like with Channel Orange, Ocean is narrating life from 10,000 feet up, able to communicate pain and lust and longing with a kind of precision that, if nothing else, should prove how singular the human spirit truly is. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

The 2015 sequel ends with an emotional sequence featuring Dom and Brian (Walker) driving side by side as the former narrates a montage about their relationship. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 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