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

Mollner revised the script that has an initial draft from Brian Duffield and is based on author Philip Fracassi’s short story Fail-Safe. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 20 July 2026

Brian Duffield penned the first draft of the screenplay based off a short story by Philip Fracassi, with revisions by Mollner. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 July 2026

In many classic short stories, the real action occurs in the silences. — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026

It is based on the short story of the same name by Chandler Baker. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 July 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