story
1 Americannoun
plural
stories-
a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.
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a fictitious tale, shorter and less elaborate than a novel.
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such narratives or tales as a branch of literature.
song and story.
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the plot or succession of incidents of a novel, poem, drama, etc..
The characterizations were good, but the story was weak.
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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
-
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.
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a report or account of a matter; statement or allegation.
The story goes that he rejected the offer.
- Synonyms:
- description
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a lie or fabrication.
What he said about himself turned out to be a story.
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Obsolete. history.
verb (used with object)
-
to ornament with pictured scenes, as from history or legend.
-
Obsolete. to tell the history or story of.
noun
plural
stories-
a complete horizontal section of a building, having one continuous or practically continuous floor.
-
the set of rooms on the same floor or level of a building.
-
any major horizontal architectural division, as of a façade or the wall of a nave.
-
a layer.
noun
-
Joseph, 1779–1845, U.S. jurist.
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William Wetmore 1819–95, U.S. sculptor and poet.
noun
-
a narration of a chain of events told or written in prose or verse
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Also called: short story. a piece of fiction, briefer and usually less detailed than a novel
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Also called: story line. the plot of a book, film, etc
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an event that could be the subject of a narrative
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a report or statement on a matter or event
-
the event or material for such a report
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informal a lie, fib, or untruth
-
to leave out details in a narration
-
informal the familiar or regular course of events
-
it is commonly said or believed
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- storyless adjective
Etymology
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
Explanation
If your little brother begs you to tell him a story, he wants to hear a short, entertaining tale. A narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a story. A story can be fictional or true, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up on the spot. Journalists write stories for newspapers, and gossips spread stories that may or may not be true. A story can be historical; the root of story, the Latin word historia, means both "history" and "story."
Vocabulary lists containing story
Structural Engineering
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Foundational Reading
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Creative Writing - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A breakfast of blueberries and yogurt sat untouched as Nichols recounted her life story.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
I didn’t want to add a new diagnosis in the middle of the story, in part because I hadn’t yet figured out how I felt about the whole thing.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026
The game also missed out on the narrative award, which went to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - a role-playing game with a complex story that changes in response to player actions.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Software stocks are having a great week following a challenging year as Wall Street reevaluates the artificial intelligence risk story.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Mom comes up to ask if I want to read with her, and I’m tempted to escape into someone else’s world—to lose myself in a story.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
