story

1 of 3

noun (1)

sto·​ry ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce story (audio)
plural stories
1
a
: an account of incidents or events
b
: a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question
c
: anecdote
especially : an amusing one
2
a
: a fictional narrative shorter than a novel
specifically : short story
b
: the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work
3
: a widely circulated rumor
4
5
6
: a news article or broadcast
7
8
storylike adjective
or story-like
storylike narratives

story

2 of 3

verb

storied; storying

transitive verb

1
: to adorn with a story or a scene from history
2
archaic : to narrate or describe in story

story

3 of 3

noun (2)

variants or less commonly storey
plural stories also storeys
1
a
: 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

Examples of story in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Sure, communities may start in a myriad of ways, but Reynolds’ story is different. Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 But without a protagonist who is invested in bare-knuckling it through the unscrupulous world of policing, her stories’ brilliantly rough edges have been shaved right down. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 McKinnon name-checked the Jurassic Park franchise as documentaries, and seemed aghast to find out that the dinosaur stories were not, in fact, real life. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 At its core the play is very much about what gets passed along from one generation to the next, both in terms of the family’s story and also the opportunities and possibilities that one generation’s hardship enables for future generations. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Keep an eye out this week for a couple of stories unpacking what has (and hasn’t) changed since. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 Thanks for the million memories, laughs, and stories. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2024 Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Rosenworcel began asking about automaker policies after a story in The New York Times about how connected cars are being weaponized in abusive relationships. Tom Krisher, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
On the heels of Sinéad O’Connor’s recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination, SPIN Executive Editor Liza Lentini spoke extensively about O’Connor’s long and storied career in music and activism on Rock in Retrospect podcast, hosted by Nick Bambach. Spin Staff, SPIN, 23 Feb. 2024 The Keswick family of storied Jardine Matheson Holdings, one of Hong Kong’s oldest business empires, enters the ranks following the restructuring of the group’s complex cross-holdings. Jane Ho, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 That storied athletic lineage was evident in the tailback’s days at Valor Christian — and even years before that. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024 Dragons are also storied to be powerful and to symbolize strength. Kurt Snibbe, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024 The letter notes that Israel has a long and storied Eurovision history — including hosting in 1979, 1999 and 2019 and winning in 1978, 1979, 1998 and 2018 — while offering up a diverse group of contestants representing the Palestinian, Ethiopian and LGBTQIA+ communities. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2024 Tales of conquering heroes and seafaring legends are reflected through its richly tiled artworks, storied architectural elements, and the Roman and Moorish ruins that lie scattered throughout its bucolic countryside. Christine Chitnis, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2024 Starr is currently the only woman signed to Mavin Records, her storied Nigerian label. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024 Listed for just shy of $22 million, the oceanfront mansion is in Windsor, a private and storied New Urbanist community with a golf course, polo field, and tennis center. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near story

Cite this Entry

“Story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

story

1 of 2 noun
sto·​ry ˈstōr-ē How to pronounce story (audio)
ˈstȯr-
plural stories
1
a
: an account of incidents or events
b
2
a
: a fictional tale shorter than a novel
especially : short story
b
: the main tale of a written work
3
: a widely told rumor
4
5
: 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

Biographical Definition

Story 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Sto·​ry ˈstȯr-ē How to pronounce Story (audio)
Joseph 1779–1845 American jurist

Story

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

William Wetmore 1819–1895 son of Joseph Story American sculptor

More from Merriam-Webster on story

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