history

noun his·to·ry \ ˈhi-st(ə-)rē \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

plural histories

1 : tale, story

2 a : a chronological record of significant events (such as those affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes

a history of Japan

b : a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena (as of geography, animals, or plants)

an illustrated history of North American birds

c : an account of a patient's medical background

reviewing her medical history

d : an established record

a prisoner with a history of violence

3 : a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events

medieval history

4 a : events that form the subject matter of a history

the history of space exploration

b : events of the past

History has shown that such efforts rarely succeed.

c : one that is finished or done for

the winning streak was history

you're history

d : previous treatment, handling, or experience (as of a metal)

a history of repeated exposure to freezing temperatures

See history defined for English-language learners

See history defined for kids

Examples of history in a Sentence

I studied history in college.
a professor of medieval history
They were one of the greatest teams in history.
It was one of the most destructive storms in modern history.
It was a period in American history when most people lived and worked on farms.
The history of space exploration is a fascinating topic.
He wrote a well-known history of the British empire.
The book begins with a brief history of the Internet.

Recent Examples of history from the Web

There will likely be a touch of history Saturday as women participating in the commemorative hike are encouraged to wear costumes in the style of l918, including middy blouses and cloth bibs with numbers sewn on.

— carl nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, "Marking 100 years since women held their 1st Dipsea race," 21 Apr. 2018
Albies became the first middle infielder in Braves franchise history to hit six home runs in April.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Yoenis Cespedes, After 4 Whiffs, Comes Through in the 12th for the Mets," 21 Apr. 2018
Kids can practice football drills, run a 40-yard dash and learn about Colts history.

— amy haneline, Indianapolis Star, "Here's how much it costs to take kids to Colts, Pacers and other sporting events," 20 Apr. 2018
Our nation’s armed forces have been intertwined with San Antonio and our city’s rich history with an uninterrupted military presence for 300 years.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Commentary: Military City, USA requires nonstop access to Reagan National," 20 Apr. 2018
The magazine's series that ran between 1952 and 1954 is considered one of the key inspirational moments in American space history.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Wernher von Braun Collier's drawings sold at auction," 20 Apr. 2018
Zuckerberg also voiced partial support for the European Union’s new privacy law that will require Internet companies to get affirmative permission from users before collecting many kinds of data, including browsing history.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Facebook Can't Fix this Problem Alone," 20 Apr. 2018
Rape culture, once too slippery to name or even notice, has been brought into sharp relief by history’s recent hard-right turn.

— emily meg weinstein, Longreads, "To Hug, or Not to Hug?," 20 Apr. 2018
Dressed in something resembling a Canadian tuxedo, Marchetti spoke of Yoox’s long history with artists (Takashi Murakami, Vanessa Beecroft, Francesco Vezzoli) and of course, in the case of the evening, there was Cattelan.

— lilah ramzi, Vogue, "Yoox, Toiletpaper, and Wallpaper* Host a Garage-Cowboy Disco to Close Out Salone del Mobile," 20 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of history

Middle English histoire, historie, from Anglo-French estoire, histoire, from Latin historia, from Greek, inquiry, history, from histōr, istōr knowing, learned; akin to Greek eidenai to know — more at wit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year