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

“For the first time in history, everybody who’s swinging a hammer on our productions has health insurance,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso described it as the "worst fire in the history of the region", with the area facing a "perfect storm" of high temperatures, relentless wind and merging fire fronts.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The Smithsonian Institution, founded nearly two centuries ago, is a Washington mainstay whose 21 museums are largely dedicated to US history and culture, as well as art.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Austria and Algeria are separated by language, religion, history and the Mediterranean.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

In my time, these men would be some of the most well-respected in history.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 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

That sparked an outpouring of grief on social media, with users archiving chat histories and sharing last conversations.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

They reached their conclusions after analyzing trading histories of more than 5,000 individual prediction market contracts on Polymarket and Kalshi between October 2025 and this February.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

My comparison of the histories of China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe in the epilogue of GGS suggested an answer to this question as applied to technological innovation in whole countries.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

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