narrow

adjective

1. 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

   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.

2. 2

   Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.

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

3. 3

   figurativeRestrictive; without flexibility or latitude.

   a narrow interpretation

4. 4

   Having a small margin or degree.

   a narrow escape

   The Republicans won by a narrow majority.

   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.

5. 5

   datedLimited as to means; straitened

   narrow circumstances

6. 6

   Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.

   a very narrow […] and stinted charity

7. 7

   Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.

   But first with narrow search I must walk round / This garden, and no corner leave unspied.

8. 8

   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.

9. 9

   Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.

   a narrow character; a narrow stream

10. 10

    Variant of limited scopeContracted; of limited scope; bigoted

    a narrow mind

    narrow views

noun

1. 1

   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

1. 1

   To reduce in width or extent; to contract.

   We need to narrow the search.

2. 2

   To get narrower.

   The road narrows.

3. 3

   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.

4. 4

   To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.

5. 5

   To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.

   to narrow an int variable to a short variable

Forms

plural

narrows

comparative

narrower

superlative

narrowest

past tense

narrowed

past participle

narrowed

present participle

narrowing

third person singular

narrows