oral history
noun
1
: a recording containing information about the past obtained from in-depth interviews concerning personal experiences, recollections, and reflections
also
: the study of such information
2
: a written work based on oral history
oral historian
noun
Examples of oral history in a Sentence
I'm reading an oral history of the Great Depression.
Recent Examples on the Web
Pfeiffer spoke to Entertainment Weekly for the Grease 2 oral history in 2023, reflecting on her audition for the role of Stephanie Zinone.
—
Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
Reality check When Pocahontas sat for Van de Passe, his portrait did more than create a resemblance of the young woman, who would die the following year, soon after leaving London – felled either by disease or, as a Virginia tribe’s oral history suggests, poison.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Years later, executive producer and writer Liz Sarnoff explained it in Vulture's oral history of the Lost finale.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Each tribe or nation in the region passes down their own oral histories about this spectacular landform, but there are similarities among them.
—Kelsey Olsen, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oral history
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Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
Reality check When Pocahontas sat for Van de Passe, his portrait did more than create a resemblance of the young woman, who would die the following year, soon after leaving London – felled either by disease or, as a Virginia tribe’s oral history suggests, poison.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Years later, executive producer and writer Liz Sarnoff explained it in Vulture's oral history of the Lost finale.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Each tribe or nation in the region passes down their own oral histories about this spectacular landform, but there are similarities among them.
—Kelsey Olsen, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oral history
Cite this Entry
“Oral history.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral%20history. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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