narrows

Pinches in width

Narrows refers to a narrow passage, especially a strait connecting two larger bodies of water: The ship passed through the narrows at dawn.

The term often appears in place names for such geographic features: Hell Gate narrows, the Tacoma Narrows.

As a verb, narrows is the third-person singular of narrow: The road narrows ahead, She narrows her eyes in suspicion.

waterway

strait

Constricted marine passage

channelPassage for transmission
passageSegment of text
inletWater extending into land

fjord · estuary · sound · bottleneck · shipping · navigation · vessel · boat · current · flow

passage

corridor

Enclosed connecting walkway

alleywayNarrow urban passage
hallwayInterior connecting passage
aisleCorridor between seating sections

tunnel · pathway · walkway · thoroughfare · passageway · gateway · bottleneck · choke point · defile · gap

constrict

squeeze

Firm bilateral compression

tightenMake more secure
compressReduce volume by force
shrinkDecrease in size

pinch · choke · strangle · clench · compact · cramp · bind · constriction · pressure · restriction

engineering

sluice

Gated water conduit

weirLow river barrier
lockMechanism requiring a key
flumeConstructed water channel

spillway · culvert · conduit · aqueduct · canal · millrace · chute · raceway · intake · outlet

restrictive

limiting

Placing restrictions upon

confiningLimiting freedom of movement
constrainingImposing limits upon
focusingConcentrating on one point

winnowing · filtering · excluding · selecting · refining · honing · targeting · specifying · pinpointing · delimiting

Categories

verbsjump, be, speak, wait, do
mountain terrainpeak, ridge, slope, gorge, pass
narrow passagesstrait, canal, gorge, pass, channel
waterwaysriver, rivers, canal, canals, stream
Canyon Geologybuttes, mesas, cliffs, canyon walls, slot canyons
chokepointschoke point, bottleneck, pinch point, strait, pass

Opposites

width/breadth change

narrowswidens

Becomes or makes broader

broadens · expands · extends · spreads · dilates

waterway geography

narrowsopen sea

Waters beyond coastlines

open water · broad · expanse · bay · gulf

Phrases

narrow downReduce to fewer options
narrow escapeBarely avoiding disaster
straight and narrowMorally correct conduct
walk the straight and narrowMaintain ethical conduct
narrowed eyesPartially closed lids, distrustful
narrow roadConstricted driving path

Family

narrow, narrowly, narrowing, narrowed, narrow-minded, narrowest, narrowness, narrower, narrow-gauge

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G