backstory

back·story | \ ˈbak-ˌstȯr-ē

How to pronounce backstory (audio)

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Definition of backstory

: a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film)

Examples of backstory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the show, Chinn’s impish character raises a ruckus in Atlantic City with her rowdy friend group of older Chinese women; plays violent video games with reckless abandon; and even gets her own epic backstory in the form of a cheesy K-drama. — Time, "Lori Tan Chinn Is a Scene-Stealer in Awkwafina’s New Series. But the Role Comes After Decades of Harassment and Discrimination," 24 Jan. 2020 Byrd about her backstory and what the Coast Guard does in the ever-changing bay. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: How wine tariffs on Europe could hurt California," 7 Jan. 2020 Scott, in particular, makes a huge impression early on as a trench commander dripping with cynicism; his character’s backstory seems far more interesting than Schofield and Blake’s trek, but there’s no time to delve into it. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "1917 Is a Visual Feat. That Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Movie.," 3 Jan. 2020 The 73-year-old is also hopeful that the film will help her fans to understand a little bit more about her backstory—and the tough reality that so many Americans face. — Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, "Is Dolly Parton's 'Christmas of Many Colors' Based on a True Story?," 27 Dec. 2019 The backstory of country music has always been so actually utterly whitewashed. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Meet Yola, the Singer-Songwriter Giving Country a Soulful Spin," 4 Sep. 2019 This backstory could not be better for the inevitable hometown dates. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Tyler Cameron Just Became The Bachelorette’s Front-Runner — Here's How," 6 June 2019 International Intrigue Equally interesting is the backstory behind the diesels; while the Chevrolet is all-American, both the Ram and Ford carry international pedigrees. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "How Does the Chevrolet Silverado's New Duramax Turbo-Diesel Engine Compare against Ford and Ram?," 3 June 2019 Well, some backstory first: Bloopers are my comedy drug of choice. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "These Game of Thrones Bloopers Are Even More Messed Up Than the Show," 17 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backstory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

5 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Backstory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backstory?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=b&file=backs02v. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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