Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for short story. Search instead for shoe store.
Synonyms

short story

American  

noun

  • short stories
    plural
  1. a piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words.


short story British  

noun

  1. a prose narrative of shorter length than the novel, esp one that concentrates on a single theme

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of short story

First recorded in 1885–90

Compare meaning

How does short-story compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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:

A Florida English professor is suing her former public college, alleging she was fired after its president objected to an award-winning short story she assigned in a freshman literature course.

From Salon Aug. 2, 2026

Celyn Jones said it was like a "homecoming" and a "culture moment" taking part in the film adaptation of the Dylan Thomas short story.

From BBC Jul. 29, 2026

Her debut, the short story collection “Battleborn” in 2012, set her on a trajectory of accolades; 2021’s “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness,” was an L.A.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

The first short story that will run in Drafting is an 1,800-word tale based on the Showtime cable series “The L Word” and written by Ilene Chaiken, the show’s co-creator and another co-founder of Run-A-Muck.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 4, 2026

I began sending her stacks of information I uncovered about her mother—scientific journal articles, photos of the cells, even an occasional novel, poem, or short story based on HeLa.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com