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

Florida’s final moments against Georgia were fitting for a fireside horror story — that which fans will tell years from now, recounting to their grandchildren the dark ages of this resting college football power. —Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025

Unfolding like a tragedy in the aftermath of diabolical events makes Agnes that much more of an effective horror story. —Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025

Since its inception, the film industry in America has reduced the sacred Black spiritual traditions of the enslaved to fodder for horror stories, portraying our magic as inherently chaotic, dangerous, and even evil. —Essence, 29 Oct. 2025

Of course, there are plenty of true crime series and freaky horror stories for adults, but there are also several kid-friendly films to enjoy with the whole family. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 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