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
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.
Inspired by Susan Choi’s 2020 short story of the same name, Flashlight is a portrait of a fractured family in crisis. Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025 My Women, a collection of her short stories, was published in English last year. Yuliia Iliukha, The New York Review of Books, 22 May 2025 The play features a series of short stories centered on the character of Bert Allenberry, a scientist from the future who embarks on a quest for true love and continues to return to the same day, the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, over and over again. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025 The book is the first short story collection to win the prize, which awards the best fiction translated into English. Andrew Limbong, NPR, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for short story

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of short story was in 1861

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Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

short story

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

More from Merriam-Webster on short story

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