war story
Americannoun
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an account or anecdote concerning one's personal experiences, especially in military combat, during a war.
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Informal. a story about hardships, ordeals, or adventures one has undergone.
Etymology
Origin of war story
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
But it’s Alvin, engineer and historical enthusiast, who distinguishes that “every war story was a systems story, usually one of a breakdown. Intentions were always good; decisions made at scale.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025
He joined the BBC and the head of drama asked to turn his war story into a drama, Mimosa Boys, screened as part of the Play for Today series.
From BBC • May 3, 2022
Surely because by doing so, the author can envelop a putatively alien West African war story in a familiar American setting.
From Washington Post • Nov. 2, 2021
There’s a dramatic update to another culture war story, one I covered last year up on Lopez Island.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2021
While the county paper carried details of Guy Wortman’s humiliation, the city papers carried a war story that had its own overtones of the ridiculous.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
