narrow down — to reduce the number of possibilities
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to make a list or group smaller by removing things that are not suitable, so you have fewer choices to consider.
Say it like a native
Textbook We have reduced the candidates to a more manageable selection.
Native We've narrowed it down to three.
'Narrow down' is the everyday phrase for cutting options; the formal version is wordy.
Pattern: narrow down + noun / narrow down + to + noun
In use
- We need to narrow down our options before we make a decision.daily life
- When preparing for university, I had to narrow down my list of courses to just three that matched my interests.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I've narrowed down it to three.
✓ I've narrowed it down to three.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'narrow it down'.
Common collocations
narrow down + to— the options, the list, it to three, the search
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'cut down,' which usually means to reduce the amount of something, not the number of choices.