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

Synonyms of short story

• tale
• story
• novella
• narrative

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

Directed and co-written by Kasia Adamik from a short story by Nobel and Booker Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026

Patricia Clarkson and Amy Madigan are also in the dugout for what is being described as a love letter to baseball and is based on a short story by Dave Eggers, the author behind A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

The location is where famed writer Edgar Allan Poe began penning short stories and launched his literary career in the 1830s. — CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

La Presse said that a 2012 short story by Orelien had plagiarized passages from a book by French author Louis Pauwels, while a 2013 opinion piece copied from The Philippine Star newspaper. — CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for short story

• aurore
• forbore
• outlawry
• pylori
• savoury
• signori
• signory
• vainglory
• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory

Kids Definition

short story

noun

: a short work of fiction usually dealing with a few characters and a single event