urban legend

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noun

a modern story of obscure origin and with little or no supporting evidence that spreads spontaneously in varying forms and often has elements of humor, moralizing, or horror: Are there alligators living in the New York City sewer system, or is that just an urban legend?

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Also called urban myth .

Origin of urban legend

First recorded in 1970–75

Words nearby urban legend

urbanite, urbanity, Urban IV, urbanization, urbanize, urban legend, urban myth, urbanology, urban renewal, urban sociology, urban sprawl

How to use urban legend in a sentence

His sudden obsession with the urban legend Candyman jolts his canvases to life—though it may not be the kind of life he wants.
Candyman Teases Out New Relevance From a ‘90s Horror Classic|Stephanie Zacharek|August 27, 2021|Time
Genre conventions are themselves like urban legends, a framework that each new generation adds to and builds upon.
Candyman Teases Out New Relevance From a ‘90s Horror Classic|Stephanie Zacharek|August 27, 2021|Time
As a horror figure, Candyman feels like a real-life urban legend that’s always been with us.
How an unsolved murder and a public housing crisis led to Candyman|Aja Romano|August 27, 2021|Vox
That story may be Olympic urban legend, but with Nurmi, driven as he was by Finnish sisu, it’s totally credible.
As Sifan Hassan Attempts Olympic Triple, a Look at Historic Multi-Medalists|jversteegh|August 4, 2021|Outside Online

According to researchers who have studied the “lights out” urban legend, it flourished partly because the summer of 1993 was one of the worst stretches of crime Chicago had ever seen.
Guess which states saw the most election disinformation in 2020|Tate Ryan-Mosley|December 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review
We see detoxing as a path to transcendence, a symbol of modern urban virtue and self-transformation through abstinence.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The attempt to “breed back” the Auroch of Teutonic legend was of a piece with the Nazi obsession with racial purity and eugenics.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the wee hours of Christmas morning, a flight deal was shared in an exclusive Facebook group for urban travelers.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Young, hip, urban millennials are using tools like Instagram to become one of the fastest growing travel markets.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Acting legend talks about what role is closest to her heart.
Gena Rowlands on Her Favorite ‘Woman’|The Daily Beast Video|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her stern was towards him, and all he saw of her was the ironical legend, “Cure your Corns.”
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
His name is less romantic than those of the wonted demons of legend and folklore.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
He perceived that they had lived long enough in retirement in the little Welsh village to have acquired a pride in its legend.
Uncanny Tales|Various
But, oddly enough, as he walked back to the hotel it was just Betty Lardner who made him think again of the legend.
Uncanny Tales|Various
It was probably this opposition that made young Cargill decide that it would be really worth while to defy the legend.
Uncanny Tales|Various