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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

Other Word Forms

  • short-story adjective

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 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 • Mar. 23, 2026

The project, based on a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, took 14 years to bring to the screen, but got seven Oscar nominations in 1984.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

While Jones had Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” in mind while writing “Kin,” her take on the subject is singular.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Mansfield met her second husband, the editor John Middleton Murry, when she submitted a short story to his avant-garde magazine, Rhythm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

RAVEN: THE GOLD-BUG is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, originally published in 1843.

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.