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

Over the course of eight episodes, Charlotte established herself as the sharpest and most logical person on the show, the kind of voice of reason that functions as an audience surrogate for horror stories while also working to keep the other characters alive. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025

Ever since fans caught the show's official trailer launch in September, revealing a mysterious fog that rolls through the entire town of Derry, viewers have speculated about a possible connection to The Mist, another classic King horror story. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025

From sky-high heels and stiff business attire to bulky belts and even barefoot passengers (yes, that happens), these in-flight missteps can lead to unnecessary discomfort—or worse, a hygiene horror story. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025

The Slender Man character is believed to have originated from a 2009 illustration of a tall, thin man with tentacle-like arms and magical abilities that circulated around the Internet via horror stories. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for horror story

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• extempore
• feudatory