What does "narrow" mean?
A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
Narrow
/ˈnæɹ.əʊ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
- Grammar: narrow is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abate, abbreviate, abridge, abstemious.
- Useful contrasts: broad, wide, ambidextrous.
- Usage evidence: Have you ever had a narrow escape?
How to use "narrow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "narrow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "narrow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "narrow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "narrow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "narrow" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "narrow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water. in-plural
"the narrows of New York harbor"
- 2 a narrow strait connecting two bodies of water wordnet
Verb
- 1 To reduce in width or extent; to contract. transitive
"We need to narrow the search."
- 2 become tight or as if tight wordnet
- 3 To get narrower. intransitive
"The road narrows."
- 4 make or become more narrow or restricted wordnet
- 5 To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
"He stepped in front of me, narrowing his eyes to slits."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 become more focused on an area of activity or field of study wordnet
- 7 To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- 8 define clearly wordnet
- 9 To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values. transitive
"to narrow an int variable to a short variable"
Adjective
- 1 Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
"a narrow hallway"
- 2 Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
"The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world."
- 3 Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude. figuratively
"a narrow interpretation"
- 4 Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted alt-of, contracted
"a narrow mind"
- 5 Having a small margin or degree.
"a narrow escape"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Limited as to means; straitened dated
"narrow circumstances"
- 7 Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
"a very narrow […] and stinted charity"
- 8 Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
"But first with narrow search I must walk round / This garden, and no corner leave unspied."
- 9 Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
- 10 Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
"a narrow character; a narrow stream"
Adjective
- 1 lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view wordnet
- 2 characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination wordnet
- 3 limited in extent or scope wordnet
- 4 not wide wordnet
- 5 very limited in degree wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Have you ever had a narrow escape?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "narrow"?
Common synonyms include: abate, abbreviate, abridge, abstemious, accented, accurate.
How do you use "narrow" in a sentence?
Have you ever had a narrow escape?
How do you pronounce "narrow"?
Pronounced /ˈnæɹ.əʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *naru, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian naar, noar, noor, nåår (“narrow”), Saterland Frisian noar (“narrow”), Dutch naar (“nasty, scary; sickening, unpleasant”), Danish and Swedish nor (“narrow strait”); also Sanskrit नृत् (nṛt, “to dance; act on stage, represent”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English narwen (“to narrow”); see there for more details, but ultimately derived from the noun.