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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recording family or community oral history projects to ensure those precious stories will not be erased? Karida L. Brown, Essence, 21 May 2025 The Land Was Always Used, a 2024 collection of oral histories about the Franklin expedition, is arguably the culmination of these efforts to put the focus back on the Inuit. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025 Interested interviewing family members or conducting an oral history? Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 2 May 2025 Dunn said Black people have often used trees as a gathering spot, when in Africa elders gathered to make decisions and pass on oral history. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oral history

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of oral history was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Oral history.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oral%20history. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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