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
The American Museum of Science and Energy offers interactive exhibits on the city’s wartime role, while the K‑25 History Center showcases more than 250 artifacts and oral histories from the uranium enrichment plant.
—
Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Dec. 2025
The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments author Atwood and Miller had explained in The Hollywood Reporter‘s oral history on The Handmaid’s Tale how Atwood’s sequel novel helped set the show’s ending on a different course.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Dec. 2025
The team pored over 7,000 pages of internal memoranda, technical reports, oral histories, and unpublished documents.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
To complete the picture of Colorado’s people — and to celebrate the state’s sesquicentennial next year — History Colorado is working to collect at least 150 oral histories from Coloradans.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oral history
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Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Dec. 2025
The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments author Atwood and Miller had explained in The Hollywood Reporter‘s oral history on The Handmaid’s Tale how Atwood’s sequel novel helped set the show’s ending on a different course.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Dec. 2025
The team pored over 7,000 pages of internal memoranda, technical reports, oral histories, and unpublished documents.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
To complete the picture of Colorado’s people — and to celebrate the state’s sesquicentennial next year — History Colorado is working to collect at least 150 oral histories from Coloradans.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oral history
Cite this Entry
“Oral history.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral%20history. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
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