Pronunciations (5)
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/ˈnæɹəʊ/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ˈnæɹoʊ/
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/ˈnɛɹoʊ/
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/ˈnaɾo/
Pronunciation notes
- Scotland
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/ˈnaɾou/
Pronunciation notes
- Wales
Adjective
Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Examples
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a narrow hallway
More examples (3)
She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.
Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.
Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.
Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Examples
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The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world.
Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
Usage- Figurative
- Examples
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a narrow interpretation
Having a small margin or degree.
- Examples
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a narrow escape
The Republicans won by a narrow majority.
More examples (3)
Although we lost the election by the narrowest of margins, the people of Oregon heard a great deal about education, and particularly about how "look-say" reading instruction was hardshipping Oregon school children.
[…] it is unclear whether the beatings of potential political opponents are a governmentwide strategy or a narrower effort by Mr. Mugabe’s backers to shore up his remaining power.
As in their narrow defeat of Argentina last week, England were indisciplined at the breakdown, and if Georgian fly-half Merab Kvirikashvili had remembered his kicking boots, Johnson's side might have been behind at half-time.
Limited as to means; straitened
Usage- Dated
- Examples
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narrow circumstances
Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Examples
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a very narrow […] and stinted charity
Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- Examples
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But first with narrow search I must walk round / This garden, and no corner leave unspied.
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.
Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a narrow character; a narrow stream
Noun
A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
Usage- in-plural
- Examples
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the narrows of New York harbor
Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow.
Verb
To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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We need to narrow the search.
To get narrower.
Usage- Intransitive
- Examples
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The road narrows.
To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
Usage- of a person or eyes
- Examples
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He stepped in front of me, narrowing his eyes to slits.
She wagged her finger in his face, and her eyes narrowed.
To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
Usage- Transitive
- Antonyms
- Examples
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to narrow an int variable to a short variable
Adjective
not wide
- Antonyms
- Examples
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a narrow bridge
a narrow line across the page
limited in extent or scope
- Examples
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the narrow sense of a word
lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
- Synonyms
- Examples
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a brilliant but narrow-minded judge
narrow opinions
very limited in degree
- Antonyms
- Examples
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won by a narrow margin
a narrow escape
characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
- Synonyms
- Examples
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a minute inspection of the grounds
a narrow scrutiny
More examples (1)
an exact and minute report
Noun
a narrow strait connecting two bodies of water
Verb
make or become more narrow or restricted
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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The selection was narrowed
The road narrowed
define clearly
- Broader terms
- Examples
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I cannot narrow down the rules for this game
become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
- Synonyms
- Examples
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She specializes in Near Eastern history
become tight or as if tight
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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Her throat constricted