Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

story

noun (1)
sto·​ry | \ ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce story (audio) \
plural stories

Definition of story

 (Entry 1 of 5)

1 archaic

a : history sense 1
b : history sense 3
2a : an account of incidents or events
b : a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question
c : anecdote especially : an amusing one
3a : a fictional narrative shorter than a novel specifically : short story
b : the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work
4 : a widely circulated rumor
5 : lie, falsehood
6 : legend, romance
7 : a news article or broadcast
8 : matter, situation

story

verb
storied; storying

Definition of story (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

1 archaic : to narrate or describe in story
2 : to adorn with a story or a scene from history

story

noun (2)
\ ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce story (audio) \
variants: or less commonly storey
plural stories also storeys

Definition of story (Entry 3 of 5)

1a : the space in a building between two adjacent floor levels or between a floor and the roof
b : a set of rooms in such a space
c : a unit of measure equal to the height of the story of a building one story high
2 : a horizontal division of a building's exterior not necessarily corresponding exactly with the stories within

Story

biographical name (1)
Sto·​ry | \ ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce Story (audio) \

Definition of Story (Entry 4 of 5)

Joseph 1779–1845 American jurist

Story

biographical name (2)

Definition of Story (Entry 5 of 5)

William Wetmore 1819–1895 son of Joseph Story American sculptor

Other Words from story

Noun (1)

storylike \ ˈstȯr-​ē-​ˌlīk How to pronounce storylike (audio) \ or story-like adjective
storylike narratives

First Known Use of story

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for story

Noun (1)

Middle English storie, from Anglo-French estoire, estorie, from Latin historia — more at history

Noun (2)

Middle English storie, from Medieval Latin historia narrative, illustration, story of a building, from Latin, history, tale; probably from narrative friezes on the window level of medieval buildings

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about story

Statistics for story

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for story

The first known use of story was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for story

story

noun
sto·​ry | \ ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce story (audio) \
plural stories

Kids Definition of story

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a report about incidents or events : account Let's hear your story of what happened.
2 : a short often amusing tale My grandfather tells stories of his childhood.
3 : a fictional tale shorter than a novel
4 : a widely told rumor
5 : lie entry 3, falsehood They made up a story of how the window got broken.

story

noun
sto·​ry
variants: also storey \ ˈstȯr-​ē \
plural stories also storeys

Kids Definition of story (Entry 2 of 2)

: a set of rooms or an area making up one floor level of a building The building is 20 stories high.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on story

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with story

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for story

Spanish Central: Translation of story

Nglish: Translation of story for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of story for Arabic Speakers

Comments on story

What made you want to look up story? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

apposite

Listen to the pronounciation of apposite

highly pertinent or appropriate

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized drawing of woman pole vaulting across gap to get trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games