history

American  

[his-tuh-ree, his-tree] / ˈhɪs tə ri, ˈhɪs tri /

noun

• histories
  plural

1. the branch of knowledge dealing with past events.

2. a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account; chronicle.

   a history of France;

   a medical history of the patient.

   Synonyms:

   annals, record

3. the aggregate of past events.

4. the record of past events and times, especially in connection with the human race.

5. a past notable for its important, unusual, or interesting events.

   a ship with a history.

6. acts, ideas, or events that will or can shape the course of the future; immediate but significant happenings.

   Firsthand observers of our space program see history in the making.

7. a systematic account of any set of natural phenomena without particular reference to time.

   a history of the American eagle.

8. a drama representing historical events.

   Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies.

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history British  

/ ˈhɪstrɪ, ˈhɪstərɪ /

noun

1. 1. a record or account, often chronological in approach, of past events, developments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a history book

      a history play

2. all that is preserved or remembered of the past, esp in written form

3. the discipline of recording and interpreting past events involving human beings

4. past events, esp when considered as an aggregate

5. an event in the past, esp one that has been forgotten or reduced in importance

   their quarrel was just history

6. the past, background, previous experiences, etc, of a thing or person

   the house had a strange history

7. computing a stored list of the websites that a user has recently visited

8. a play that depicts or is based on historical events

9. a narrative relating the events of a character's life

   the history of Joseph Andrews

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history Idioms  

1. see ancient history; go down (in history); make history; (history) repeats itself.

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Synonym Usage

See narrative.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underhistory
  noun
• unhistory
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• histories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of history

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English historie, from Latin historia, from Greek historía “learning or knowing by inquiry, history”; derivative of hístōr “one who knows or sees; learned”; akin to wit ², video, Veda

Explanation

A history is a chronicle of events, like the history of the United States’ mission to put a man on the moon, or the world history class that you have to memorize all those dates for. History is a noun to describe past events, or an account of something, like the history of New York City. When you describe something as having a history, you’re implying it has an intriguing past. For example, a necklace that’s been passed down through generations has a history. But when you say something's history, what you mean is not that it no longer exists. Your fear of the water is history now that you know how to swim.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

history histories

That shot helped the England white-ball great move to 14,833 runs in T20 cricket, surpassing Kieron Pollard's mark of 14,803 to become the highest run-scorer in the format's history.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

So, all we have to go on when predicting bond returns is their history.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

A U.S. history class, for example, might be spent analyzing sources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

First, it was the culmination of the most profound demographic growth in the history of entertainment.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

I tug at the bottom of my running shorts, which suddenly seem way too short, and Jonah shrugs the most infuriating shrug in the history of shoulders.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

These kinds of investigators often use public records, databases, address histories and people-finder services.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

McElwee refuses to scrub the truth from his personal histories, choosing instead to confront his own regrets head-on.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Among each other, they shared oral histories or firsthand accounts of the demolished neighborhoods of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop that once encompassed the nearby canyon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Some systems may have experienced long and intense interactions early in their histories, causing the stars to become tidally locked.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

And so, she stuck a couple of them between the pages of the histories, and would sneak them out when Mrs. Caruthers was dozing.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• account
• annals
• biography
• record
• relation
• story
• tale