Narrowing

'nærəʊɪŋ

verb (gerund or present participle)medium📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

The process of making or becoming narrower.

'nærəʊɪŋ

verb (gerund or present participle)neutralmedium
General

The act of becoming or making something smaller in width, scope, or amount.

The company is narrowing its focus to concentrate on core products.

💡 Simply: Narrowing is like when a road gets thinner, or when you reduce the choices you have. Like, if you're trying to pick a flavor of ice cream, and you start with ten options and end up with just two - that's narrowing!

👶 For kids: Making something smaller or thinner, like a road getting skinnier.

More Examples

2

Due to the erosion, the path was continually narrowing.

3

The discussion eventually led to a narrowing of the possible solutions.

How It's Used

Engineering

"The construction of a bridge required narrowing the river channel."

Politics

"The debates focused on narrowing the ideological gap between the candidates."

2

The result of becoming or being made narrower; the process of making or becoming narrower.

'nærəʊɪŋ

nounneutralmedium
General

The act or process of making or becoming narrower.

The narrowing of the path made it difficult to navigate.

💡 Simply: The narrowing is the result of something getting smaller. It's like when you have a lot of space and it becomes less. Example: There was a narrowing of the river because of the dam.

👶 For kids: When something gets thinner or smaller, like a road that's narrowing.

More Examples

2

Doctors are concerned about the narrowing of her blood vessels.

3

The economic forecast predicts a narrowing of the market.

How It's Used

Medical

"The narrowing of the arteries is a serious medical condition."

Business

"The company faced a narrowing of its profit margin."

Tip:Think of the state of the road: it's a narrowing.

From the Old English word 'nearu' meaning 'narrow' or 'constricted', with the addition of the suffix '-ing' indicating a present participle or gerund form. It reflects the action or process of making something narrower.

The word 'narrowing' has been in use since the 16th century, appearing in literature and technical writings to describe a decrease in width or scope.

Memory tip

Imagine a road getting narrower and narrower – that's narrowing!

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"narrow, constricted"

narrowing of the arteriesnarrowing the focusnarrowing down a listnarrowing profit margins

Common misspellings

narowingnarroing

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written