oral history

noun

1
: a recording containing information about the past obtained from in-depth interviews concerning personal experiences, recollections, and reflections
also : the study of such information
2
: a written work based on oral history
oral historian noun

Examples of oral history in a Sentence

I'm reading an oral history of the Great Depression.
Recent Examples on the Web Part of that is because ball culture has historically been under-documented and strongly relies on oral histories, according to Tucker. Solcyré Burga, TIME, 12 May 2024 In a memo to committee members ahead of the meeting, the marker program’s staff noted there were no contemporary newspaper or other accounts of Smith in Concord, but Albertson had relied on oral histories for his book. Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2024 Cue this thoroughly entertaining oral history from the cast and crew, which featured more on-the-rise actors than any movie since The Outsiders. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 9 May 2024 In Vanity Fair’s oral history of Freaks and Geeks, Daley and Jason Segel spoke about looking up to and learning from Flaherty on the series. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024 When asked about finding the truth amid contrasting accounts in an oral history, Brown turned philosophical. Ben Sisario, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024 This summer, Kansas City residents will have the opportunity to record their own oral histories and submit them to the Library of Congress. Hana Muslic, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 The opening scene in the Netflix version plays out like a documentary, as director Derek Tsang, who worked on the first two episodes, had researched oral histories of that dark historical period, where academics were beaten and some sent to reeducation camps. Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Since 2016, Newtown Alive has recorded the neighborhood’s oral history. Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oral history.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of oral history was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near oral history

Cite this Entry

“Oral history.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral%20history. Accessed 18 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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