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horror story

American  

noun

  1. a story, movie, etc., that entertains or fascinates by shocking or frightening, especially by an emphasis on bloodshed or supernatural forces.

  2. Informal. a distressing experience.

    the horror stories of child abuse.

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.

Hurt Horror story about a woman alone in a house in the woods on Halloween.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2021

Horror story … Stephen King is no fan of Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining.

From The Guardian • Apr. 6, 2013

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.