narrowing
narrowing — 形容詞
1. becoming less wide from side to side as it continues or moves forward.
變窄的
寬度正慢慢變小的
becoming less wide from side to side as it continues or moves forward.
The narrowing road forced Baraka to slow the truck near the bridge.
那條變窄的道路，逼得 Baraka 在橋邊放慢卡車速度。
pattern: narrowing + road
A narrowing path ran between the tea fields behind Mei's house.
一條變窄的小路，從 Mei 家後方的茶園之間穿過。
We stopped where the narrowing river passed between two dark rocks.
我們在那條變窄的河流穿過兩塊深色岩石的地方停了下來。
The firefighters crawled through a narrowing hallway to reach the back room.
消防員爬過一條變窄的走廊，去到後面的房間。
- tapering
often suggests a shape that becomes gradually thinner toward one end
- constricting
stronger and often used when space feels tight or pressured
- widening
describes the same kind of shape change in the opposite direction
文法句型
a narrowing road
a narrowing river
用法筆記
Usually appears before nouns such as road, path, river, or hallway when the shape is changing and the sides are moving closer together.
2. becoming smaller in range, choice, or activity, so fewer things are included.
限縮的
範圍或選擇正變少的
becoming smaller in range, choice, or activity, so fewer things are included.
The narrowing job market worried Ilan after the factory closed.
工廠關閉後，限縮的就業市場讓 Ilan 很擔心。
collocation: narrowing job market
A narrowing choice of flights pushed Noor to book early.
航班選擇變得更少，讓 Noor 提早訂票。
The club faced a narrowing pool of young volunteers this year.
今年，這個社團面臨著逐漸限縮的年輕志工來源。
Teachers discussed the narrowing range of subjects at the school.
老師們討論著學校裡正在限縮的科目範圍。
- expanding
used when a field, market, or set of choices is growing
文法句型
a narrowing market
a narrowing range
用法筆記
Most often used with nouns like market, field, choice, or range when the number of possibilities is getting smaller over time.
3. becoming smaller until the difference between two sides, amounts, or results is
縮小的
差距或優勢正變小的
becoming smaller until the difference between two sides, amounts, or results is almost gone.
The narrowing gap between rents and wages still worried families.
房租和薪資之間縮小的差距，仍讓許多家庭擔心。
collocation: narrowing gap
A narrowing lead kept the home crowd tense in the final minute.
逐漸縮小的領先優勢，讓主場觀眾在最後一分鐘十分緊張。
Analysts watched the narrowing difference in prices across the two cities.
分析師觀察著兩座城市之間價格差異的縮小情況。
The narrowing score gap gave Rachel hope before the last point.
縮小的比分差距，又讓 Rachel 在最後一分前燃起希望。
- closing
common for a gap, distance, or lead that is becoming smaller
- tightening
often used when a race or result is becoming more even
- widening
used when the difference between two sides is growing larger
文法句型
a narrowing gap
a narrowing lead
用法筆記
Common with nouns like gap, lead, margin, or difference when the focus is on two sides moving closer together rather than on physical width.
narrowing — 名詞
1. a place where a road, river, or passage becomes narrower than the area around it
狹窄處
道路或通道變窄的地方
a place where a road, river, or passage becomes narrower than the area around it.
Traffic slowed at the narrowing before the old tunnel outside town.
在鎮外那條老隧道前的狹窄處，車流慢了下來。
pattern: at the narrowing
The kayaks turned sideways to pass through the narrowing in the stream.
皮艇側著轉向，好穿過溪流裡的那個狹窄處。
pattern: through the narrowing
A stone wall marked the narrowing between the two farm fields.
一面石牆標出了兩塊農地之間的狹窄處。
The guard waited at the narrowing where all visitors had to queue.
警衛守在那個狹窄處，所有訪客都得在那裡排隊。
- pinch point
more technical and often used for traffic or movement flow
- bottleneck
stresses delay or blockage rather than shape alone
- opening
a place where space becomes wider or more open
文法句型
the narrowing
at a narrowing
through a narrowing
用法筆記
Usually appears with the or a and is most common in descriptions of routes, waterways, or passages where movement is squeezed into a smaller space.
narrowing — 動詞
1. to have its sides move closer together, or for a person to move the sides of som
變窄；縮窄
寬度變小，或使其變小
to have its sides move closer together, or for a person to move the sides of something closer together.
The lane is narrowing near the school, so buses take turns.
學校附近的車道正在變窄，所以公車得輪流通過。
intransitive: something is narrowing
Workers are narrowing the doorway to stop cold air getting in.
工人們正在縮窄門口，好讓冷空氣不要跑進來。
transitive: narrowing the doorway
The river was narrowing as our boat moved toward the village.
當我們的船朝村莊前進時，河道正在變窄。
Anong is narrowing the dress at the waist before the wedding.
Anong 正在把那件洋裝的腰身縮窄，好趕上婚禮前完成。
The crack is narrowing after the wall dried for two weeks.
牆面乾了兩週後，那道裂縫正在變窄。
- widen
means to become wider or make something wider
文法句型
something is narrowing
be narrowing something
用法筆記
Used both intransitively for roads, rivers, or openings and transitively when someone changes the width of clothes, passages, or other physical spaces.
常見錯誤
2. to make something smaller, fewer, or closer, especially a choice, difference, or
縮小；拉近
使差距、範圍或選項變小
to make something smaller, fewer, or closer, especially a choice, difference, or area of focus.
The gap is narrowing as more stores cut their prices.
因為更多商店降價，那個差距正在縮小。
intransitive: a gap is narrowing
Meera is narrowing the list to three colleges this week.
Meera 這週正把名單縮小到三所學院。
pattern: narrowing something to
Scientists are narrowing the search area after the second signal.
科學家在第二個訊號出現後，正把搜尋範圍縮小。
The Lions' lead kept narrowing after the other team scored twice.
在對手連得兩分後，Lions 的領先優勢一直在縮小。
Ziad is narrowing his research to schools in northern Taiwan.
Ziad 正把自己的研究範圍縮小到台灣北部的學校。
- expand
means to make something larger or broader in range
文法句型
something is narrowing
narrowing something to a smaller set
用法筆記
Often used with gap, list, search, choice, or focus. When followed by to, it points to the smaller final group or target.