story Hear it!

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story1 definition

story (stôrē)

noun pl. stories -·ries

  1. the telling of a happening or connected series of happenings, whether true or fictitious; account; narration
  2. an anecdote or joke
    1. a fictitious literary composition in prose or poetry, shorter than a novel; narrative; tale; specif., short story
    2. the form of literature represented by such compositions
  3. the plot of a novel, play, film, etc.
    1. a report or rumor
    2. Informal a falsehood or fib
  4. romantic legend or history
    1. a news event or a report of it
    2. Informal the pertinent facts or circumstances relating to a particular person, situation, etc., esp. such facts not widely known or previously revealed what's his story? what's the story on your firing?
  5. Informal the situation with regard to the subject being discussed; the aggregate of facts or circumstances involved what's the story on the hostages?

Etymology: ME storie < OFr estoire < L historia: see history

transitive verb storied -·ried, storying -·ry·ing

  1. Archaic to tell the story of
  2. to decorate with paintings, etc. representing scenes from history or legend
story2 definition

story (stôrē)

noun pl. stories -·ries

  1. a section or horizontal division of a building, extending from the floor to the ceiling or roof lying directly above it; floor a hotel ten stories high
  2. all the rooms on the same level of a building
  3. any horizontal section or division

Etymology: ME < ML historia, a picture (< L: see history): prob. from use of “storied” windows or friezes marking the outside of different floors

Story definition

Story (stôrē)

Story, Joseph 1779-1845; U.S. jurist: associate justice, Supreme Court (1811-45)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
story Synonyms

story

n.

  1. Imaginative writing

    write-up, fable, narrative, tale, myth, fairy tale, anecdote, legend, account, recital, memoir, parable, apologue, fiction, novel, romance, allegory, epic, saga, fantasy, edda; see also literature 1.

    Kinds of stories include --- Long: novel, romance, love story, realistic novel, detective, horror, adventure, comedy of manners, historical novel, biographical fiction, novelette, satire, saga, heroic poem, epic, mythological account, narrative, chronicle, chanson de geste (French); Short: jest, Märchen (German), folktale, fairy tale, apologue, canard, sketch, fantasy, anecdote, short story, novella, ghost story, example, exemplum (Latin), fable, conte devot (French), saint's life, legend, beast tale, primitive tale, idyll, pastoral, parable, fable, allegory, short short*, western*, pulp*, bodice-ripper*, techno-thriller*, whodunit*.

  2. *A lie

    fib*, falsehood*, fabrication.

story, the broadest in scope of these words, refers to a series of connected events, true or fictitious, that is written or told with the intention of entertaining or informing; narrative is a more formal word, referring to the kind of prose that recounts happenings; tale, a somewhat elevated or literary term, usually suggests a simple, leisurely story, often somewhat loosely organized, especially a fictitious or legendary one; anecdote applies to a short, entertaining account of a single incident, usually personal or biographical


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

story Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • tell: He told the story of the young man who wanted his ax ground.

Adjective modifier

  • full: For the full story of the Spiral sessions take a look at our Harry Roche page.

Modifies a noun

  • teller: And the finest story tellers will recount the old, dramatic Kunda stories with everyone around the fire.

Noun used with modifier

  • ghost: The Woman in Black - A brilliant ghost story.
story usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

story quotes

Men have everyadvantage of us in telling their story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands.

-Austen,Jane

The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.

-Barrie, SirJ(ames) M(atthew)

Here then will we begin the story: onlyadding thus much to that which hath been said, that it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue, and to be short in the story itself.

-Bible (Apocrypha)

story quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"story." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/story>

APA Style

story. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/story

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