short story

noun

Synonyms of short storynext
: 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For her, the little pink houses of our decaying American mythology are still haunted enough to give her a few more good short stories. Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026 Reading often inspires her to write short stories that imitate the voice of an author. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026 In 1893, Scottish-Canadian author, Robert Barr, wrote a short story about an unhappy married couple that was vacationing in the Swiss Alps when the husband plots to push his wife off of a cliff. Mary Beth Skylis, Outside, 26 Feb. 2026 Goodrich published the original in the first issue of Assemble Artifacts, the short story magazine from Assemble Media. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for short story

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of short story was in 1861

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Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

short story

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

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