story

1 of 3

noun (1)

sto·ry ˈstȯr-ē

plural stories

Synonyms of story next

: an account of incidents or events

: a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question

: anecdote

especially : an amusing one

: a fictional narrative shorter than a novel

specifically : short story

: the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work

: a widely circulated rumor

: lie, falsehood

: legend, romance

: a news article or broadcast

: matter, situation

archaic

: history sense 1

: history sense 3

storylike

ˈstȯr-ē-ˌlīk

adjective

or story-like

storylike narratives

story

2 of 3

verb

storied; storying

transitive verb

: to adorn with a story or a scene from history

archaic : to narrate or describe in story

story

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈstȯr-ē

variants or less commonly storey

plural stories also storeys

: the space in a building between two adjacent floor levels or between a floor and the roof

: a set of rooms in such a space

: a unit of measure equal to the height of the story of a building

one story high

: a horizontal division of a building's exterior not necessarily corresponding exactly with the stories within

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Joel Umanzor, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 May 2023 The Tallahassee Democrat's Ana Goñi-Lessan and the Pensacola News Journal's Brittany Misencik contributed to this story. —

Douglas Soule, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023 How the debt ceiling could impact your money Khristopher J. Brooks Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports. —

Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 17 May 2023 Only Hamel’s fight — and eventual success — persuaded me to write this story. —

Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 This is a developing story, please check back for updates. —

NBC news, 17 May 2023 Since its beginnings, seemingly in the late 16th or early 17th century, the art form has been used to share stories and has more than 30 rhythms, thanks to interactions with Taíno and European musical traditions. —

Javier E. Piñero, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2023 Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. —

Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2023 Both sides have made inflated claims in the past, and so far there is little solid evidence to confirm either story. —

Popular Mechanics, 17 May 2023

Verb

Brewers honor storied past The home clubhouse at American Family Field in Milwaukee is a mini museum. —

Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2023 The two are the Mountain State's highest-profile and storied political figures. —

Scott Macfarlane, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2023 Ultimately Sullivan and DeLuca partnered with veteran Baldwin County restaurateur Harry Johnson, whose ventures include Manci’s Antique Club – another Daphne venue enjoying a second life after a long and storied run under its original family owners. —

Lawrence Specker | , al, 5 Apr. 2023 In memoriam: Walt McGovern, lead mover and shaker in the successful 1974 effort to declare steelhead a gamefish, left us on March 21 after a long and storied history of memorable support for Oregon outdoors. —

Bill Monroe, oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2023 Throughout the film’s remarkable run—since debuting at South by Southwest almost a year ago exactly—Yeoh has won over critics, fans, and Academy voters alike with her talent, grace, and storied Hollywood career. —

Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 12 Mar. 2023 But with an awards show as rich and storied as the Oscars, not every major moment makes it to the television screen on show night. —

Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2023 In Europe, Gruyère has a long and storied history. —

María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2023 Alan Alda has garnered many accolades throughout his long and storied career, including six Emmys and the prestigious SAG Life Achievement Award. —

Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'story.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 8a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

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

Time Traveler

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

story

1 of 2 noun

sto·ry ˈstōr-ē

ˈstȯr-

plural stories

: an account of incidents or events

: anecdote

: a fictional tale shorter than a novel

especially : short story

: the main tale of a written work

: a widely told rumor

: fib, lie, falsehood

: a news article or broadcast

story

2 of 2 noun

variants also storey

ˈstōr-ē,

ˈstȯr-

plural stories also storeys

: a set of rooms or an area making up one floor level of a building

Etymology

Noun

Middle English storie "tale," from early French estoire, estorie (same meaning), from Latin historia "tale, history"

Noun

Middle English storie, from Latin historia "tale, illustration, story of a building," from earlier Latin, "tale, history"; probably so called from the use of narrative paintings on the window levels of medieval buildings