Definition Definition

narrow - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'narrow' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Narrow [ n.]
- A narrow passage; esp., a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water; -- usually in the plural; as, The Narrows of New York harbor.
2 . Narrow [ superl.]
- Of little breadth; not wide or broad; having little distance from side to side; as, a narrow board; a narrow street; a narrow hem.
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Having but a little margin; having barely sufficient space, time, or number, etc.; close; near; -- with special reference to some peril or misfortune; as, a narrow shot; a narrow escape; a narrow majority.
- Limited as to means; straitened; pinching; as, narrow circumstances.
- Contracted; of limited scope; illiberal; bigoted; as, a narrow mind; narrow views.
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- 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; as e (eve) and / (f/d), etc., from i (ill) and / (f/t), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, / 13.
3 . Narrow [ v. i.]
- To become less broad; to contract; to become narrower; as, the sea narrows into a strait.
- Not to step out enough to the one hand or the other; as, a horse narrows.
- To contract the size of a stocking or other knit article, by taking two stitches into one.
4 . Narrow [ v. t.]
- To lessen the breadth of; to contract; to draw into a smaller compass; to reduce the width or extent of.
- To contract the reach or sphere of; to make less liberal or more selfish; to limit; to confine; to restrict; as, to narrow one's views or knowledge; to narrow a question in discussion.
- To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.

Meaning of 'narrow' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . narrow [ v]
Meaning (1):
- become tight or as if tight
Example in sentence:
  • Her throat constricted
Meaning (2):
- define clearly
Example in sentence:
  • I cannot narrow down the rules for this game
Meaning (3):
- become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
Example in sentence:
  • She specializes in Near Eastern history
Meaning (4):
- make or become more narrow or restricted
Example in sentence:
  • The road narrowed;
  • The selection was narrowed
5 . narrow [ a]
Meaning (5):
- lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
Example in sentence:
  • a brilliant but narrow-minded judge;
  • narrow opinions
Meaning (6):
- not wide
Example in sentence:
  • a narrow bridge;
  • a narrow line across the page
Meaning (7):
- very limited in degree
Example in sentence:
  • a narrow escape;
  • won by a narrow margin
8 . narrow [ s]
Meaning (8):
- characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
Example in sentence:
  • a minute inspection of the grounds;
  • a narrow scrutiny;
  • an exact and minute report
Meaning (9):
- limited in size or scope
Example in sentence:
  • the narrow sense of a word