a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.
a fictitious tale, shorter and less elaborate than a novel.
such narratives or tales as a branch of literature.
song and story.
the plot or succession of incidents of a novel, poem, drama, etc..
The characterizations were good, but the story was weak.
a narration of an incident or a series of events or an example of these that is or may be narrated, as an anecdote, joke, etc.
a narration of the events in the life of a person or the existence of a thing, or such events as a subject for narration.
the story of medicine; the story of his life.
a report or account of a matter; statement or allegation.
The story goes that he rejected the offer.
a lie or fabrication.
What he said about himself turned out to be a story.
Obsolete. history.
to ornament with pictured scenes, as from history or legend.
Obsolete. to tell the history or story of.
a complete horizontal section of a building, having one continuous or practically continuous floor.
the set of rooms on the same floor or level of a building.
any major horizontal architectural division, as of a façade or the wall of a nave.
a layer.
Joseph, 1779–1845, U.S. jurist.
William Wetmore 1819–95, U.S. sculptor and poet.
a narration of a chain of events told or written in prose or verse
Also called: short story. a piece of fiction, briefer and usually less detailed than a novel
Also called: story line. the plot of a book, film, etc
an event that could be the subject of a narrative
a report or statement on a matter or event
the event or material for such a report
informal a lie, fib, or untruth
to leave out details in a narration
informal the familiar or regular course of events
it is commonly said or believed
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English stori(e), store, “(written or oral) narrative; history,” from Anglo-French (e)storie ( Old French estoire), from Latin historia history
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English stori(e), from Anglo-Latin (hi)storia architecture term for a picture decorating a building, a part of the building so decorated, hence floor, story, from Latin historia history
If your little brother begs you to tell him a story, he wants to hear a short, entertaining tale. A narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a story. A story can be fictional or true, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up on the spot. Journalists write stories for newspapers, and gossips spread stories that may or may not be true. A story can be historical; the root of story, the Latin word historia, means both "history" and "story."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“You need a thick skin,” he told one of them earlier this year after they complained about what they perceived as an unfair story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"When prevention disappears, infections rise. When treatment is interrupted, people die. We know how this story ends if we fail to act," warned Byanyima.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
As Amicus delved into popular constitutionalism—the process by which ordinary people shape constitutional meaning—we came across Lyle Cherneff’s work on a largely forgotten American story that captures the concept in action.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Film producer Nick Barton said he believes this "extraordinary story could make a really brilliant and successful movie".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
This would help her not stand there in silence but speak loudly and share the story she’d written in her poem.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
For something less medieval, the sad suburbanites of HBO’s “DTF St. Louis” might do the trick, or the tragic romance of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” from FX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“We may have to leave him with family for a while,” Leigh said of their dog Story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
In cinemas, the film's global takings include £12.6m from the UK - making it the second-biggest opening weekend in the country so far this year, behind Toy Story 5.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Disney's "Toy Story 5" fell to fourth place in its fifth week, with an estimated domestic weekend take of $13 million, for a global total of nearly $958 million.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Anansi. He—Never mind. If these Story Boxes are so powerful, why doesn’t MidPass have one?”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
As he led us around, he delved into the nerdy details of winemaking and provided back stories to the winery’s most popular bottles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
There are lots of parallels between these two stories: family members getting separated from loved ones, then turning to the courts, specifically to habeas corpus petitions, to claim that the separation is unlawful.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
This broad set of information allowed the team to compare what people experienced while awake with the stories, settings, and emotions that appeared in their dreams.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Independent power producers rerated like technology stocks, and utilities that spent decades as bond proxies suddenly had growth stories.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Good medicine on the menu, stories on the side.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
And Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg told BBC Sport the prospect of taking international cricket's most storied - and marketable - Test rivalry to India should be on the table.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The Academy Award-winning star and her husband, director Taylor Hackford, have relisted their longtime Hollywood Hills estate for just a touch under $13 million after completing an extensive renovation at the storied property.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Timed to one of baseball’s most storied rivalries, the collection brings KAWS’ distinctive visual language to the diamond,” said Aaron Levant, chief executive of Complex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The date meant that the premiere would take place not in an indoor hall as first intended, but at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony’s storied summer home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The English language has a long and storied history.
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
I mean this book doesn't do a lot of war storying.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 17, 2018
Behold now! of my godhead I will make Thy senses burn with vision, storying The spirit of woman growing from loved to love.
From Emblems Of Love by Abercrombie, Lascelles
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.
