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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

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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

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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

Brown raced 109 metres up to the other end to score one of the longest-range tries in women's rugby league history, and thoroughly demoralise Wales.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Thankfully, the same capacity for collaboration that assisted our species’ development throughout history could now avert this catastrophe.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

He became the first quarterback in NFL history with rushing touchdowns in each of the first five games of a season during a 37-34 win against the Rams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

But it can insist on transparency where legally possible, investigate the history of the allegations and examine whether officials are adhering to the standards that protect prosecutorial independence.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

I watched this alternative history spiral out in flashes and blips and bit my lip.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The discovery suggests that animals with very different evolutionary histories may have developed similar aerodynamic solutions to the challenges of flying.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

And for people with certain medical histories, like having an eating disorder, being pregnant or taking a SGLT2 inhibitor, fasting isn’t a good idea.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The institute’s staff arranged small conferences to walk the elders through the personal histories of the refugees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"There was this insinuation that we weren't really part of those histories," she said, "but when you look back, there was so much there."

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

By analyzing families that possessed intergenerational histories of mental illness, the study found striking evidence that bipolar disorder and schizophrenia shared a strong genetic link.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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Related Words

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

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