Story
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈstÉ”Ëɹi/
- Rhymes: -É”Ëɹi
Origin
From Anglo-Norman estorie, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστοÏία (historia, "history"). Compare history and storey ("floor of a building").
Full definition of story
Noun
story
(plural stories)- A sequence of real or fictional events; or, an account of such a sequence.
- Ed. Rev.Venice, with its unique city and its impressive story
- Sir W. TempleThe four great monarchies make the subject of ancient story.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 1, The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.
- 2013-06-29, Travels and travails, Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
- The book tells the story of two roommates.
- A lie.You’ve been telling stories again, haven’t you?
- (chiefly US) A floor or level of a building; a storey.
- 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, chapter I:The lower story of the market-house was open on all four of its sides to the public square.
- Our shop was on the fourth story of the building, so we had to install an elevator.
- (US, colloquial, usually pluralized) A soap opera.What will she do without being able to watch her stories?
- (obsolete) History.
- 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:... who is so unread or so uncatechis'd in story, that hath not heard of many sects refusing books as a hindrance, and preserving their doctrine unmixt for many ages, only by unwritt'n traditions.
- A sequence of events, or a situation, such as might be related in an account.What's the story with him?I tried it again; same story, no error message, nothing happened.
Usage notes
(soap opera) Popularized in the 1950s, when soap operas were often billed as "continuing stories," the term "story" to describe a soap opera fell into disuse by the 21st century and is now used chiefly among older people and in rural areas. Other English-speaking countries used the term at its zenith as a "loaned" word from the United States.