narrow

Everyday

1. Narrow means not wide; with only a small distance from one side to the other. tree →
2. A narrow win, escape or miss is one that only just happens. tree →
3. To narrow is to become or make something less wide. tree →
4. To narrow something down is to make a list of choices smaller. tree →
5. Narrow-minded means not willing to accept new or different ideas. tree →

In the lessons

In maths, width tells you how narrow or wide a shape is. In road and outdoor safety, narrow lanes and paths have little space for cars and people, so walk in single file and listen for traffic. In stories, a narrow escape is a close call. In thinking, narrowing down helps solve problems (rule out answers). Phrases: a narrow path, narrow escape, narrow victory, narrow it down, narrow-minded.

Examples

• The path was too narrow for two bikes. tree →
• We walked in single file down the narrow lane. tree →
• The team won by a narrow margin of one point. tree →
• He had a narrow escape from the falling branch. tree →
• The river narrows near the bridge. tree →
• We narrowed the choices down to two. tree →
• Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. tree →

Note

Opposite: wide, broad. Adverb: narrowly (narrowly missed). In maths problems, a narrow win or narrow margin means a small difference between the two numbers.

In Jewish tradition

In the Balaam story the angel stands in a narrow place with no room to turn aside, so Balaam's donkey is pressed against the wall. Elsewhere narrow means not wide, as in the narrow windows of Solomon's Temple, a narrow pit, or a bed covering too narrow to wrap in.

Interpretation. Tradition reads the narrow path as a lesson that the angel blocked Balaam completely, so that even the donkey could see what the prophet could not. The wise men of Proverbs use a "narrow pit" as a picture of the trap of an immoral woman, and Isaiah uses the too-short bed as a picture of a false hope that cannot protect.

Examples

• And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. (Torah NUM.22.26, JPS 1917) tree →
• And for the house he made windows broad within, and narrow without. (Prophets 1KI.6.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit. (Writings PRO.23.27, JPS 1917) tree →
• For the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself; and the covering too narrow when he gathereth himself up. (Prophets ISA.28.20, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Opposite: wide, broad. Adverb: narrowly (narrowly missed). In maths problems, a narrow win or narrow margin means a small difference between the two numbers.