narrow

Definitions

1. 1.Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed. The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world. Bp. Wilkins.
2. 2.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. Dryden.
3. 3.Limited as to means; straitened; pinching; as, narrow circumstances.
4. 4.Contracted; of limited scope; illiberal; bigoted; as, a narrow mind; narrow views. "A narrow understanding." Macaulay.
5. 5.Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish. A very narrow and stinted charity. Smalridge.
6. 6.Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact. But first with narrow search I must walk round This garden, and no corner leave unspied. Milton.
7. 7.(Phon.) 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 oo (food), etc., from ì (ìll) and oo (foot), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 13. Note: Narrow is not unfrequently prefixed to words, especially to participles and adjectives, forming compounds of obvious signification; as, narrow-bordered, narrow-brimmed, narrow-breasted, narrow-edged, narrow-faced, narrow-headed, narrow-leaved, narrow- pointed, narrow-souled, narrow-sphered, etc. Narrow gauge. (Railroad) See Note under Gauge, n., 6.
8. 8.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. Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow. Gladstone.
9. 9.To lessen the breadth of; to contract; to draw into a smaller compass; to reduce the width or extent of. Sir W. Temple.
10. 10.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. Our knowledge is much more narrowed if we confine ourselves to our own solitary reasonings. I. Watts.
11. 11.(Knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
12. 12.To become less broad; to contract; to become narrower; as, the sea narrows into a strait.
13. 13.(Man.) Not to step out enough to the one hand or the other; as, a horse narrows. Farrier's Dict.
14. 14.(Knitting) To contract the size of a stocking or other knit article, by taking two stitches into one.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "narrow" mean?
• What is another word for "narrow"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is narrow.

• What is of little extent; very limited; circumscribed. The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world. Bp. Wilkins called?
• What is limited as to means; straitened; pinching; as, narrow circumstances called?
• What is contracted; of limited scope; illiberal; bigoted; as, a narrow mind; narrow views. "A narrow understanding." Macaulay called?
• What is parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish. A very narrow and stinted charity. Smalridge called?
• What is scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact. But first with narrow search I must walk round This garden, and no corner leave unspied. Milton called?
• What is to lessen the breadth of; to contract; to draw into a smaller compass; to reduce the width or extent of. Sir W. Temple called?
• What is to contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one called?
• What is to become less broad; to contract; to become narrower; as, the sea narrows into a strait called?
• What is not to step out enough to the one hand or the other; as, a horse narrows. Farrier's Dict called?
• What is to contract the size of a stocking or other knit article, by taking two stitches into one called?