short story

noun

: an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot

Synonyms of short story

• tale
• story
• novella
• narrative

Examples of short story in a Sentence

her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal

Recent Examples on the Web

Brian Duffield wrote the initial screenplay based off the short story by Phillip Fracassi, with revisions by Mollner. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 7 July 2026

Anyone can use a GenAI tool to create, and then profit from, a short story in the style of Margaret Atwood or a cartoon in the style of Sarah Andersen. — Zoey Forbes, The Dial, 7 July 2026

Build me a memorable association or short story that links their name to these details. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Daily Fiction By Mac Crane The following is from Mac Crane's debut short story collection, Perverts. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for short story

• aurore
• forbore
• outlawry
• pylori
• savoury
• signori
• signory
• vainglory
• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory

Kids Definition

short story

noun

: a short work of fiction usually dealing with a few characters and a single event