narrow

1 of 3

adjective

nar·​row ˈner-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce narrow (audio)
ˈna-(ˌ)rō
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 sense a) in views or disposition : prejudiced
the days of cold hearts and narrow mindsT. 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
narrowly adverb
narrowness noun

narrow

2 of 3

verb

narrowed; narrowing; narrows

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

narrow

3 of 3

noun

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

Examples of narrow in a Sentence

Adjective 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 Verb 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 on the Web
Adjective
After Bolsonaro lost the election by a narrow margin to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his supporters rioted and broke into government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Tara John, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 Cocoa trees are especially sensitive to climate change, only growing in a narrow band of approximately 20 degrees around the equator. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Her suit was filed in federal court but made claims under New York's penal code, which has a narrower definition of rape than the federal standard. Graham Kates, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024 Arizona made the NCAAs over both of those opponents after closing strong (5-3 since Feb. 16), with two narrow losses to USC. Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Tanaka films this tale of love and death with a confrontational, but also tender, frankness regarding women’s bodies, desires, and the distinctness of their art in a society that forces them into narrow attitudes and ways of life—a distinctness reflected in Tanaka’s bold cinematic style. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 The high court on Monday appeared ready to embrace a narrow ruling, with several justices suggesting the states and individuals behind the lawsuit did not have sufficient legal grounds to sue the Biden administration. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Rent a small car or Vespa to zip around the narrow roads, discovering vineyards with volcanic soil, prehistoric villages, and underwater caves along the way. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Riverdale Ridge keeps a narrow 28-26 advantage going into halftime. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Some communities held a February primary to narrow down candidates for local offices like mayor, city council and school board. Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024 All five of those artists made the long list for Video of the Year, with fan voting open until April 1 to narrow the contenders down to six; the top three finalists from the second round of voting will be announced the day before the CMT Music Awards. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024 The panel had previously narrowed a more sweeping order from a federal judge, who wanted to include even more government officials and prohibit mere encouragement of content changes. Mark Sherman, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024 The nations in this group, however, have made pledges that would narrow the gap by 2030. IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2024 These genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have accelerated biomedical research by narrowing down specific mutations and their links to a specific pathology. Thiago Arzua, STAT, 15 Mar. 2024 An approach centered instead on leveraging the advantages of specific communities will narrow the regional divide in economic outcomes, the officials contend. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 But opportunities for others to take the same path have narrowed since the pandemic, experts say – leaving untold numbers of North Korean girls and women trapped in servitude. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 But in the final week of Florida’s 60-day legislative session, the focus has narrowed just to heat protections. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
Adrenaline is released, heart rate increases, blood flows into the muscles, the digestive system shuts down and consciousness narrows, focusing on the threat. Paul Bloom, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2023 Your pupil naturally widens and narrows based on the brightness of the light around you. Troy Bedinghaus, Od, Verywell Health, 17 July 2023 But despite its Instagram appeal, the narrows is a flood manager’s nightmare. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2023 There are options for the wide and the narrow of feet, for minimalist fans and thick-sole pounders, for mountain speedsters and fire-road plodders—and every runner in between. Justin Nyberg, Outside Online, 14 May 2015 Despite his considerable narrow-mindedness, Simmons found a counterintuitive wisdom in his bodily extremism, a blind faith only in that which facilitates maximum performance—call it optimization on steroids. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2022 Democratic societies are encountering unprecedented challenges, which come not only from authoritarian regimes but equally from inside a society with narrow-mindedness, greed for power, and material desire, which are ingrained in human nature. Stephen Mooallem, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Nov. 2021 Neither enjoys a large-enough back seat to support adults for hours on end, but the Ford squeezes out a narrow of victory in cargo room. K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 26 June 2021 No Trump-supporting, independent, or conservative-leaning characters appear except as foils to help illustrate the narrow-mindedness of the main subjects. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'narrow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

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

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of narrow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near narrow

Cite this Entry

“Narrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrow. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

narrow

1 of 3 adjective
nar·​row ˈnar-ō How to pronounce narrow (audio)
1
a
: of slender width
a narrow space
b
: of less than usual width
narrow roads
2
: limited in size or scope
a narrow selection of jeans
3
: not broad or open in views or opinions
narrow in their thinking
4
a
: barely enough for the purpose : close
won by a narrow margin
b
: barely successful
a narrow escape
narrowly adverb
narrowness noun

narrow

2 of 3 noun
: a narrow part or passage
especially : a strait connecting two bodies of water
usually used in plural

narrow

3 of 3 verb
: to lessen in width or extent : contract

More from Merriam-Webster on narrow

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