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Synonyms

short story

American  

noun

  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

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Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of short story

First recorded in 1885–90

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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.

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

Before she was a bestselling romance novelist, Carley Fortune had never so much as written a short story or taken an adult creative writing class.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined compatriot Sir Anthony Hopkins in starring in a new film based on a Dylan Thomas short story.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The play has the old-fashioned carpentry of a solid one-act or mid-century short story.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Du Bois included in his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, a brilliant but haunting short story.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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