history

noun

ˈhi-st(ə-)rē How to pronounce history (audio)
Definition of historynext
1
as in annals
an account of important events in the order in which they happened a history of the American civil rights movement during the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in chronology
a relating of events usually in the order in which they happened we heard the whole history of her illness in excruciating detail

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in past
the events or experience of former times history has many lessons to teach us, if only we would listen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of history Bruni has a long history with the house, having walked in its shows during its heyday. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026 McConnell finally closed the loophole late last year by inserting a hemp THC ban into a measure that ended the longest government shutdown in history. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 Armour invoked the murder of Emmett Till while connecting the controversy to America’s history of White women portraying Black people as threats. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 Kansas ran for 480 yards Saturday, fifth most in program history. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for history
Recent Examples of Synonyms for history
  1. record
  2. chronology
  3. past
  4. story
  5. commentary
  6. account
  7. report
  8. chronicle
Noun
  • When the chipmaker announced a record stock repurchase on Monday, its share price was, by one key metric, at its cheapest level in a decade.
    — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In particular, the event highlighted how sharing patients’ health records with federal researchers could benefit the study of the origins of chronic diseases.
    — Brittany Trang, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of record
Noun
  • By resisting the siloing of art by geography and chronology, the rehang interrogated the style and substance of European modernism, as well as the ways later generations of artists reclaimed those histories.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Sam Levy’s editing likewise darts associatively between these moods, seemingly letting sense memory shape the chronology of proceedings.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of chronology
Noun
  • The boomer’s reckoning Voeste grew up in Dortmund, the coal-and-steel city whose fate has long illustrated the dangers of clinging to an industrial past after its economics have changed.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Both companies boast century-old studios, beloved media brands and a recent past that has included several fraught mergers.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of past
Noun
  • There was a period where airspace was closed in the Gulf after the Iran conflict began, and then questions about whether the region’s growth story would be interrupted.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In the end, creation stories feels a bit like an internal pep talk for which an audience didn’t necessarily need to be present.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of story
Noun
  • NASASpaceflight has many cameras in position around Starbase, and the company typically shares up-close video views and live commentary for preflight activities.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Rates become an even bigger hurdle for stocks Treasury yields surged to multidecade highs last week as strong economic data and hawkish Federal Reserve commentary raised expectations for more rate hikes.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of commentary
Noun
  • To pay for this labor, inmates claim that individuals outside of prison are depositing thousands of dollars into the commissary accounts of those serving the rapper.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Those addresses can help with account sign-ups and management.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of account
Noun
  • An April 2025 legionella report obtained by The Sacramento Bee shows the bacteria was found in at least 17 samples, including those taken from the men’s locker room, a women’s bathroom and several janitor closets.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Months later, a report found the state hadn't complied with its own lethal injection process since its revision in 2018, resulting in executions being conducted without proper testing of the drugs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of report
Noun
  • Winner of the Best Documentary prize at Cannes, filmmaker and actress Pegah Ahangarani turns her own family archive into a profoundly personal chronicle of Iran’s long struggle for freedom.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Juan Angel, who went on to build a successful landscaping business, struggled with alcoholism, which Rivera chronicles in this narrative that does not shy away from the role addiction played in the life and death of his role model.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of chronicle

Browse Nearby Words

histories
history
histrionic
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Cite this Entry

“History.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/history. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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