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

Related Stories Heirs of the Perisphere, directed by Chris Eyre and written by Caroline Spector, is based on a short story by Martin’s longtime friend, science-fiction author Howard Waldrop. — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026

Maria published more than two dozen novels and short story collections between 1795 and 1848, many of them full of economic ideas and lessons. — Jeanna Smialek, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026

Based on the short story The Wicker Husband by Ursula Wills-Jones, the film follows a small village fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who convinces a local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to build her a husband out of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård). — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026

The film adapts a short story of the same name by Zhang Chu, a winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize, one of China’s top literary awards. — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 3 Nov. 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