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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

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Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for story

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

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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.

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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

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