short story
Americannoun
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short stories
plural
noun
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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.
But it also lends weight to a theory I’m tracking that the short story is due a big comeback—potentially giving brands a way into arguably one of the last advertising-free spaces in society: the bookstore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Prabhakar had assigned “Bettering Myself,” a short story by acclaimed author Ottessa Moshfegh, in her Freshman English II course.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 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
In his short story “Intimacy,” Raymond Carver uses the metaphor of “dead leaves” to describe the unresolved wounds between the narrator and his ex-wife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
If this were a short story, it would mean something.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
