narrow

adjective nar·row \ ˈner-(ˌ)ō , ˈna-(ˌ)rō \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: narrow in a Sentence

Definition of narrow

1 a : of slender width

a long and narrow room

b : of less than standard or usual width

a narrow sidewalk

c of a textile : woven in widths usually less than 18 inches (46 centimeters)

2 : limited in size or scope

a narrow interpretation

3 a : illiberal (see illiberal d) in views or disposition : prejudiced

the days of cold hearts and narrow minds
—T. B. Macaulay

b chiefly dialectal : stingy, niggardly

4 a : barely sufficient : close

won by a narrow margin

b : barely successful

a narrow escape

5 : minutely precise : meticulous

a narrow inspection

6 of an animal ration : relatively rich in protein as compared with carbohydrate and fat

7 : tense 3

—

narrowly

adverb

—

narrowness

noun

See narrow defined for English-language learners

See narrow defined for kids

Examples of narrow in a Sentence

The city's ancient streets are too narrow for buses.
We crossed at the narrowest part of the river.
His shoulders are very narrow.
within the narrow limits allowed by law
They offer a narrow range of flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
the study's narrow focus on 30-year-old men
The study was narrow in scope.
a narrow view of politics

Recent Examples of narrow from the Web

Expert divers guided each boy for several hours, navigating more than two miles of the narrow, twisting, dark and dangerous labyrinth.

— john bacon, ajc, "WATCH: Video shows rescued Thai soccer players flashing victory sign from hospital beds," 12 July 2018
There’s limited parking in the area beneath the sign, which consists mostly of residential neighborhoods and narrow, winding roads.

— gerry smith and christopher palmeri, BostonGlobe.com, "Traffic-snarling selfies spur plan for tram to Hollywood sign," 11 July 2018
Nursing was only one, and perhaps an even narrow, expression of Ola's concern for the wellbeing of others.

— courant.com, "Ola K. Ferla," 11 July 2018
More: Out of the cave, onto the big screen: Hollywood taks on Thai rescue Expert divers guided each boy for several hours, navigating more than two miles of narrow, twisting, dark and dangerous labyrinth.

— john bacon, USA TODAY, "How 100 heroes came together to rescue 12 boys and their coach from the Thailand cave," 11 July 2018
Elite divers working to rescue a Thai soccer team are having to traverse miles of caves and narrow, submerged passageways in a mission that is fraught with danger.

— jake maxwell watts, WSJ, "What Lies Beneath? Vague Mapping Complicates Thai Cave Rescue," 8 July 2018
But some of the boys can't swim, and the narrow, winding cave and long distances—around 5km—is a big challenge for even the most experienced divers.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Elon Musk has an idea for saving boys stranded in a Thailand cave," 6 July 2018
Their against-all-odds rescue involved each of them being lifted in a narrow, elevator-like chamber that was suspended by a cable into a hole drilled through solid rock.

— chris kraul, latimes.com, "Once trapped underground themselves, Chilean miners have some advice for the Thai boys stuck in a cave," 6 July 2018
The provisions in the Copyright Directive are far narrower than SOPA, however, and big European countries like France and Germany have a tradition of stronger copyright laws.

— robert levine, Billboard, "What a Google Email to News Publications Means for the Music Business," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'narrow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of narrow

Middle English narowe, from Old English nearu; akin to Old High German narwa scar

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

narrow Synonyms

narrow

verb

Definition of narrow

transitive verb

1 : to decrease the breadth or extent of : contract —often used with down

2 : to decrease the scope or sphere of : limit —often used with down

narrow down the choices

intransitive verb

: to lessen in width or extent : contract —often used with down

See narrow defined for English-language learners

Examples of narrow in a Sentence

The path was narrowed by overgrowth.
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the words in front of him.
The vase narrows at its top.
narrowing the range of options
You'll need to narrow the focus of your paper to one central idea.
The gap between their salaries was beginning to narrow.

Recent Examples of narrow from the Web

Bull markets tend to narrow with age, as investors double down on stocks that have served them well.

— The Economist, "Even stockmarket bulls are more cautious than at the start of the year," 12 July 2018
For Ellis, the approach of the qualifying tournament - Oct. 4-17 at venues in North Carolina and Texas - has prompted her to narrow the core player pool and intensify the focus on tactics, style and chemistry.

— steven goff, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. women's soccer is one year from the World Cup. It seems closer for coach Jill Ellis.," 12 July 2018
For one, the gap between the West’s top two teams and the rest of the league was cavernous, and no team without an elite-level star figures to narrow that chasm any time soon.

— mike finger, San Antonio Express-News, "For Spurs, one option still unthinkable," 30 June 2018
Let’s look at the first claim, which is typically the broadest and most important — the following claims tend to narrow the first claim in different ways.

— nilay patel, The Verge, "No, Facebook did not patent secretly turning your phone mics on when it hears your TV," 28 June 2018
What stands out most about Hall was his indefatigability, his insistence on putting words to paper, even as his health seemed to fail and his world to narrow.

— danny heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, "Donald Hall: poet, farmer, indefatigable observer of life," 26 June 2018
But the wholesale restructuring of the economy by private equity firms to narrow the beneficiaries of business operations contributed mightily to the resentments still resounding through the country today.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Disposable America," 21 June 2018
Immigration advocates have also criticized a recent move by Sessions that narrowed who can qualify for asylum in immigration court in the United States.

— author: reade levinson, mica rosenberg, Anchorage Daily News, "U.S. government says nearly 2,000 child separations at Mexico border in under two months," 16 June 2018
Manny Piña doubled with one out, then Orlando Arcia and Lorenzo Cain each singled to narrow the gap to 2-1.

— todd rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Indians 3, Brewers 2: A rare instance of consecutive losses," 5 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of narrow

see ¹narrow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

narrow

noun

Definition of narrow

: a narrow part or passage; specifically : a strait connecting two bodies of water —usually used in pl. but singular or plural in construction

Recent Examples of narrow from the Web

The divers, three Navy SEALS, and a doctor, brought the boys up from the perilous depths two at a time, working through the cavern's narrows turns and murky water with precision.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "All 12 Thai Boys Rescued From Cave," 10 July 2018
Angry scratches marked his narrow back, mementos of scrambling through the brush at the border.

— NBC News, "In the chaos of Trump's policy reversal, families aren't split but monitored," 24 June 2018
Right now, in the face of America’s reactionary narrow-mindedness, the work’s insistent cross-cultural heterogeneity feels joyfully subversive.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "'Made in L.A. 2018': Why the Hammer biennial is the right show for disturbing times," 5 June 2018
The mouth of the narrows, the flats on the east side from the mouth up past the ranch house north and from the ranch house to the island in the afternoon when the fish are over deep water.

— sacbee, "Fishing line: Sacramento River sees plenty of stripers and shad | The Sacramento Bee," 30 Apr. 2018
Furthermore, as communication narrows, constituents may be less likely to feel represented.

— gregory koger, Vox, "The job of Congress: a primer," 17 Apr. 2018
To Vista Point/trailhead parking: From campgrounds (no RVs or trailers allowed past campgrounds), continue ahead, make a very sharp left turn and continue (the roads narrows, so drive slowly) for 0.2 of a mile to parking and restroom on right.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Castle Crags’ spectacular little seen world," 5 Apr. 2018
Still, with every new bomb discovered, the evidence grows and, investigators hope, the space between the hunter and the hunted narrows ever so slightly.

— manny fernandez, serge f. kovaleski and john ismay, New York Times, "For Austin Bomb Investigators, Each New Blast Offers New Clues," 20 Mar. 2018
While the jobs gap between blacks and whites narrows, other economic gaps between the races persist. Valerie Wilson, demographic economist at Economic Policy Institute, points to huge disparities in wealth.

— sharon nunn, WSJ, "After 40 Years, the Black-White Labor Force Participation Gap Has All But Closed," 11 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of narrow

see ¹narrow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NARROW Defined for English Language Learners

narrow

adjective

Definition of narrow for English Language Learners

: long and not wide : small from one side to the other side
: including or involving a small number of things or people : limited in range or amount
: almost not successful : very close to failure : almost not enough for success

narrow

verb

Definition of narrow for English Language Learners

: to make (something) less wide
: to become less wide
: to make (something) smaller in amount or range

NARROW Defined for Kids

narrow

adjective nar·row \ ˈner-ō \

Definition of narrow for Students

narrower; narrowest

1 : of slender or less than usual width

…Kino ran straight to the narrow dock where the fishing boats bobbed up and down…
—Pearl S. Buck, The Big Wave

2 : limited in size or extent

We had a narrow range of choices.

3 : not broad or open in mind or views

They are narrow in their thinking.

4 : barely successful : close

We made a narrow escape.

—

narrowly

adverb

—

narrowness

noun

narrow

verb

Definition of narrow for Students

narrowed; narrowing

1 : to make or become less wide

… his yellow eyes narrowed to slits.
—Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins

2 : to limit in number : become fewer

The list of candidates has been narrowed to ten.

narrow

noun

Definition of narrow for Students

: a narrow passage connecting two bodies of water —usually used in pl.

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See words that rhyme with narrow Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for narrow Spanish Central: Translation of narrow Nglish: Translation of narrow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of narrow for Arabic speakers

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narrow

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narrow

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