horror story
noun
: an account of an unsettling or unfortunate occurrence
heard horror stories about recent layoffs
also
: something unsettling or unfortunate
his childhood was a horror story
Examples of horror story in a Sentence
We've all heard horror stories about airlines losing people's luggage.
Her childhood was a horror story.
Recent Examples on the Web
The horror story of a man transforming into a monster is a familiar genre.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Suddenly, the irony of the AI horror stories was becoming clear.
—Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
Travel horror stories emerged from some airports, like Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where wait times stretched to as long as six hours last month.
—Kyle Burton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The weekend's box office leaderboards were otherwise a horror story with the slasher sequel Scream 7 and Maggie Gyllenhaal's Bride of Frankenstein reimagining The Bride!
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horror story
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.
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Suddenly, the irony of the AI horror stories was becoming clear.
—Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
Travel horror stories emerged from some airports, like Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where wait times stretched to as long as six hours last month.
—Kyle Burton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The weekend's box office leaderboards were otherwise a horror story with the slasher sequel Scream 7 and Maggie Gyllenhaal's Bride of Frankenstein reimagining The Bride!
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horror story
Cite this Entry
“Horror story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horror%20story. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
