short story
noun
: an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot
Examples of short story in a Sentence
her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal
Recent Examples on the Web
Her essays and short stories have been published in Gordon Square Review, Mutha Magazine, The Avalon Literary Review, and South Dakota Review.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
The Stephen King adaptation is titled Mister Yummy and is based on the short story by King.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
The latest from Coixet, the highest-profile Catalan director at Tallinn, adapting a short story collection by Italy’s Michela Murgia, who died of cancer at 51.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
People might be surprised, but one of my favorite short story writers is Lorrie Moore.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short story
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.
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
The Stephen King adaptation is titled Mister Yummy and is based on the short story by King.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
The latest from Coixet, the highest-profile Catalan director at Tallinn, adapting a short story collection by Italy’s Michela Murgia, who died of cancer at 51.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
People might be surprised, but one of my favorite short story writers is Lorrie Moore.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short story
Cite this Entry
“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share