short story

American  

noun

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

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short story British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• short-story adjective

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:

• short story vs. novella

Example Sentences

Will Self burst onto the literary scene in 1991 with a collection of inventive and excessive short stories that was titled “The Quantity Theory of Insanity.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The video could be seen as a reference to 88-year-old Sir Anthony's latest project, as he is set to start shooting a film based on a short story by Thomas based in the Welsh countryside.

From BBC

In 1991 Will Self disgorged himself on to the British literary scene with “The Quantity Theory of Insanity,” a book of short stories seething with misanthropy and logorrhea.

From The Wall Street Journal

Which she does in a performance that has the tight focus of a good short story and the theatrical immediacy of what might be called a narrative cabaret.

From Los Angeles Times

“The short story remains unchanged: energy prices and rates volatility are staying elevated, and this is not an environment conducive to taking large positions or fading dislocations,” Societe Generale’s rates strategists said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• narrative
• novella
• tale