narrow

Study(31)

/ˈnæɹ.əʊ/

adj 5verb 5noun 1

Collocations

(adj.) not wide

VERBS

be, look, seem | become, get

ADV

extremely, very

a bit, fairly, quite, rather, relatively

The alley was fairly narrow, so we had to walk single file through it.

(adj.) limited

VERBS

be, seem | become

ADV

excessively, extremely, peculiarly, very | increasingly | comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat

PREP

The manager was narrow in his thinking and refused to consider any new ideas from the team.

(verb.) of a road/river/gap/range

ADV

considerably

a bit, a little, slightly

The hallway becomes a bit narrow as you approach the back staircase.

sharply

The price of gas narrowed sharply after the new supply agreement was announced.

steadily

PREP

The search area narrowed to just a few city blocks after the police received new information.

(verb.) of eyes

ADV

fractionally, slightly

His eyes narrowed slightly when he realized he had forgotten his wallet at home.

suddenly

dangerously, shrewdly, speculatively, suspiciously, thoughtfully

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the stranger who had just walked into the room.

PREP

against

He squinted and narrowed his eyes against the bright light coming through the window.

She narrowed her eyes at the confusing instructions on the package.

The gap between the two candidates narrowed to just a few percentage points before election day.

with

She narrowed her eyes with concentration as she read the small print on the letter.

Definitions

adj

Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.

a narrow hallway

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.

Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.

The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world.

Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.

a narrow interpretation

Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted

a narrow mind

narrow views

Having a small margin or degree.

a narrow escape

The Republicans won by a narrow majority.

noun

A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.

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.

We need to narrow the search.

To get narrower.

The road narrows.

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.

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.

to narrow an int variable to a short variable

Thesaurus

Synonyms

verb — become tight or as if tight

constrict
constringe

verb — make or become more narrow or restricted

contract

verb — become more focused on an area of activity or field of study

specialize
specialise

verb — define clearly

specify

adjective — lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view

narrow-minded

adjective — characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination

minute

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

straight and narrow

A path of honesty; a procedure according to rules and plans.

The project would seriously go down the pan if Mrs. Foster weren't here to keep it on the straight and narrow.

narrow down

To make more specific.

All the food on the menu looked delicious, so I tried to narrow down my choices to only healthy foods.

Example Bank

a narrow hallway

Wiktionary

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.

Wiktionary

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 whi

Wiktionary

the narrows of New York harbor

Wiktionary

Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow.

Wiktionary

We need to narrow the search.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, narrow is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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