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

No oral history, no tell-all, no anonymous former executive airing grievances. — Jeff Rabhan, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

The program’s collection includes artifacts, archival records and oral histories documenting the community’s role in shaping the region. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

Exhibits will include original equipment, Cold War archives, veterans’ oral histories, and a rare early ARPANET system—a precursor to today’s internet. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026

The Zuni still return, making pilgrimages to the region to affirm what their oral history tells them, reading petroglyphs – images carved into the rock by their ancestors – that match those at their present-day home of Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oral history

• ethnohistory
• consistory
• mystery