short story

noun

1. a piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words.

short story

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• short-story adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of short story¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Welty’s novels and short stories are still celebrated for their richly described landscapes of her native South and their equally vivid view of the inner lives of her characters.

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The movie radiates the spare, rugged poetry of a short story or a John Prine song.

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The dilemma isn’t a new one, as Truman Capote made clear in his 1967 short story “The Thanksgiving Visitor.”

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He sold his first short story to the Atlantic Monthly at the age of 23.

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This hefty collection promises “something for everyone” in its harvest of 20 short stories by current authors from David Avallone to Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

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Related Words

• narrative 
• novella 
• tale