short story
Americannoun
noun
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.
“The story continues as a short story, and maybe those shorts turn into novels, maybe those shorts turn into a serialized vertical series,” said Drucker Mann.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Noir fans will recognize the title as belonging to a short story by William Irish, the pen name of that master of unease, Cornell Woolrich.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Of the new album, one of its highlights is the buoyant corrido “Terca,” which elaborates on a short story in the memoir about Venegas’ move to Mexico City.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 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
Emily had left her binder, The Gold-Bug, and the Poe short story collection on the table when they went to chat with Raven, so now she closed those.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
