short story

Definition of short storynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 short story The film adapts a short story of the same name by Zhang Chu, a winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize, one of China’s top literary awards. — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026 The world of June Marple, the elderly amateur detective Christie featured in a dozen novels and 20 short stories, is considerably quainter. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2026 Its digital platforms Drafting and Reign have now generated more than 1B impressions across Substack, IG and TikTok, with multiple original short stories published on Drafting now being developed for television. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026 Maggie Shipstead is the New York Times-bestselling author of three novels and a short story collection. — Maggie Shipstead, Longreads, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for short story
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short story
Noun
  • Amused, the actor offered a gentle lesson in mixing the perfect vodka and orange juice—just one of countless tales this legendary hotel has collected over nearly a century.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
  • From this banal beginning, Gray launches a tale of fear and violence, criminal conspiracies and paranoia.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The Observer requested those findings, but the district did not provide them in response to questions for this story.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The Sentinel has also had to enlist lawyers to fend off threats from state officials who tried to stop us from publishing stories twice in just the last 18 months.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Heti took years’ worth of personal diaries, got a computer to arrange the sentences in alphabetical order, and then, without tampering with the order, winnowed the material to the length of a novella.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In August, Arinzé Kene (Misty) performs in the one-man show Kohlhaas, an adaptation of the novella Michael Kohlhaas by Marco Baliani and Remo Rostagno, translated and directed by Omar Elerian, originally produced by Brighton Festival.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The charter school’s impressive test scores are not just narrative, however.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Memory, the passage of time, and the inextricable hold that the past has on the present are all essential elements of narrative art.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short%20story. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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