as in tale
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal
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Recent Examples of short story
At times the novel felt more like a collection of short stories than one cohesive narrative — until the second half of the book, when two events, one celebratory and one heartbreaking, bring the group together.
—
Zoë Jackson, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, the film debuted to beaucoup critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
In the autumn of his life, Henry James went back to many of his novels and short stories, submitting them to revisions sufficiently far-reaching to keep scholars happily squabbling forever.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The indie studio outbid several others for Discretion, based on a short story by best-selling author Chandler Baker.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short story
Zoë Jackson, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, the film debuted to beaucoup critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
In the autumn of his life, Henry James went back to many of his novels and short stories, submitting them to revisions sufficiently far-reaching to keep scholars happily squabbling forever.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The indie studio outbid several others for Discretion, based on a short story by best-selling author Chandler Baker.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short story
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short story
Noun
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In a battle between two undefeated NFC teams, the Buccaneers and Eagles played a tale of two halves that came down to the wire.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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Her stories began running Monday and will continue this week.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Featuring illustrations by Sophie Blackall, the novella wraps up the trilogy that DiCamillo largely wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly changing America of the early 20th Century.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 2024 European Parliament elections strengthened far-right blocs and pushed the centre-right toward diluting elements of the Green Deal, reframing climate rules as sovereignty or competitiveness threats and amplifying cost-of-living and farmer-protest narratives.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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The predominant narrative among many springs scientists, advocates and government officials is that rising nitrate levels in springs over the past few decades fuels the growth of excess algae.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short%20story. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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