sob story

American  

noun

1. an excessively sentimental human-interest story.

2. an alibi or excuse, especially one designed to arouse sympathy.

   Instead of a raise, the boss gave us another sob story about her expenses.

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sob story British  

noun

1. a tale of personal distress intended to arouse sympathy, esp one offered as an excuse or apology

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sob story Idioms  

1. A tale of personal hardship, true or invented, that is intended to arouse pity in the listener. For example, She always came up with some sob story to excuse her absences, but no one believed her. [Early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of sob story

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Lizzo's team has called the lawsuit a "fabricated sob story," but a Los Angeles judge ruled that the case could move forward last year.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

If he has a sob story about how he has to collect the car now, say no.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 10, 2025

So are the film’s many montages underlining Ryuta’s plight — he toils at multiple jobs to care for his sick mother — that reduce the character to something of a sob story.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2024

It's also an experience almost everyone can relate to — the stranger's sob story that doesn't quite check out, the email that looks almost exactly like it came from your credit card company.

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2023

She launches into a sob story about how much she hates being a Marthadrone.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson