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

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

From MarketWatch • Nov. 10, 2025

The film diverts expectations at every turn, shirking the burdens of the sob story you might see in a typical gay homecoming film.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 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

"This is not a sob story but everything is going against us," Lampard, Chelsea's all-time top scorer, told BT Sport after the game.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2023

I was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan