short story

noun

1. a piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words.

short story

noun

1. a prose narrative of shorter length than the novel, esp one that concentrates on a single theme

Other Words From

• short-story adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of short story¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Many years later, in graduate school, when I first read “Sonny’s Blues,” a short story originally published in 1957 by James Baldwin about family and addiction, I would think back to this painting, in this house, and how its beauty halted me in my tracks, how it dared me to pause and consider my place in the wide world.

From Los Angeles Times

The first short story about the monster written in the English language was John Polidori's The Vampyre in 1819.

From BBC

The first time Laurel Ollstein used a Dorothy Parker short story for a theatrical monologue in college, everyone was impressed.

From Los Angeles Times

The short story is we need to win a trophy.

From BBC

The title of Tesla robotaxi event - We, Robot - which played on the the title of an Isaac Asimov short story collection, caught the eye of Alex Proyas.

From BBC

Related Words

• narrative
• novella
• tale