story

¹

[ stawr-ee, stohr-ee ]

noun

, plural sto·ries.

1. a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.

   Synonyms: chronicle, history, record, anecdote, fable, legend, romance

2. a fictitious tale, shorter and less elaborate than a novel.
3. such narratives or tales as a branch of literature:

   song and story.

4. the plot or succession of incidents of a novel, poem, drama, etc.:

   The characterizations were good, but the story was weak.

5. a narration of an incident or a series of events or an example of these that is or may be narrated, as an anecdote, joke, etc.

   Synonyms: recital

6. a narration of the events in the life of a person or the existence of a thing, or such events as a subject for narration:

   the story of medicine; the story of his life.

7. a report or account of a matter; statement or allegation:

   The story goes that he rejected the offer.

   Synonyms: description

8. news story ( def ).
9. a lie or fabrication:

   What he said about himself turned out to be a story.

10. Obsolete. history.

verb (used with object)

, sto·ried, sto·ry·ing.

1. to ornament with pictured scenes, as from history or legend.
2. Obsolete. to tell the history or story of.

story

²

[ stawr-ee, stohr-ee ]

noun

, plural sto·ries.

1. a complete horizontal section of a building, having one continuous or practically continuous floor.
2. the set of rooms on the same floor or level of a building.
3. any major horizontal architectural division, as of a façade or the wall of a nave.
4. a layer.

Story

³

[ stawr-ee, stohr-ee ]

noun

1. Joseph, 1779–1845, U.S. jurist.
2. William Wet·more [wet, -mawr, -mohr], 1819–95, U.S. sculptor and poet.

story

¹

/ ˈstɔːrɪ /

noun

1. a narration of a chain of events told or written in prose or verse
2. Also calledshort story a piece of fiction, briefer and usually less detailed than a novel
3. Also calledstory line the plot of a book, film, etc
4. an event that could be the subject of a narrative
5. a report or statement on a matter or event
6. the event or material for such a report
7. informal.
   a lie, fib, or untruth
8. cut a long story short or make a long story short
   to leave out details in a narration
9. the same old story informal.
   the familiar or regular course of events
10. the story goes
    it is commonly said or believed

verb

1. to decorate (a pot, wall, etc) with scenes from history or legends

story

²

/ ˈstɔːrɪ /

noun

1. another spelling (esp US) of storey

Other Words From

• story·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of story¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English stori(e), store, “(written or oral) narrative; history,” from Anglo-French (e)storie ( Old French estoire), from Latin historia history

Origin of story²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English stori(e), from Anglo-Latin (hi)storia architetcure term for a picture decorating a building, a part of the building so decorated, hence floor, story, from Latin historia history

Word History and Origins

Origin of story¹

C13: from Anglo-French estorie, from Latin historia; see history

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with story , also see cock and bull story ; cover story ; fish story ; hard-luck story ; make a long story short ; old story ; same old story ; shaggy dog story ; sob story ; upper story .

Example Sentences

Tran, who was born in the U.S. to Vietnamese refugee parents, also focused heavily on Vietnamese Americans, hoping that his family’s story would help win over voters who were once loyal to the Republican Party.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a similar story in the second set.

From BBC

“And we’re proving that great stories can come from anywhere and be loved by audiences everywhere.”

From Los Angeles Times

Do you know what I noticed about the flood of stories about Trump’s Cabinet picks in my inbox?

From Salon

This is a story about how Gabriel Pec and the Galaxy got their grooves back.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adventure
• anecdote
• article
• autobiography
• biography
• book
• comedy
• description
• drama
• fable
• fantasy
• feature
• fiction
• history
• information
• legend
• memoir
• myth
• narrative
• novel