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 Restaurant workers too have shared horror stories on Reddit about demanding customers and drunken misbehavior. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 13 Oct. 2023 Her mind games put a new spin on preteen horror stories. Jill Pellettieri, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023 Staying in 📖 Review: Britney Spears’ memoir is a Gothic horror story. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2023 Facebook Show more sharing options This month, San Diego theater audiences are lucky enough to see two Jeffrey Hatcher plays adapted from 19th-century horror stories. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2023 As negotiators were in the bargaining room, a popular Instagram account, IATSE Stories, emerged, telling anonymous horror stories about working conditions, while in October of that year Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot, reigniting conversations about crew set safety. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2023 Buy Now On Amazon $39.99 Portable Fan, Charger and Flashlight (48% Off) Travel horror stories of passengers stranded on planes for hours in the heat will motivate everyone to pack their own personal cooling system. Meredith Woerner, Variety, 10 Oct. 2023 Starring Octavia Spencer, this film is a horror story about a lonely woman who befriends a group of teenagers. Okla Jones, Essence, 1 Oct. 2023 After my father died of cancer in 1962, Frankenstein and any number of other horror stories became meditations for me on what was beyond and what came back, but never should have. Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horror story.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of horror story was in 1937

Dictionary Entries Near horror story

Cite this Entry

“Horror story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horror%20story. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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