urban legend

American

noun

a modern story of obscure origin and with little or no supporting evidence that spreads spontaneously in varying forms and often has elements of humor, moralizing, or horror.

Are there alligators living in the New York City sewer system, or is that just an urban legend?

Etymology

Origin of urban legend

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

See Examples For:

urban legend

Meanwhile, the competitive bidding war for the internet urban legend Siren Head closed last week, with Warner Bros. winning the theatrical rights for an undisclosed amount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanising the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

The story may be an urban legend, but it illustrates a real danger of artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

The different procedures, like the sewing of eyelashes, I think that’s an urban legend.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025

Halliday’s Easter egg gradually moved into the realm of urban legend, and the ever-dwindling tribe of gunters gradually became the object of ridicule.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023