short story

noun

: an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot

Examples of short story in a Sentence

her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal
Recent Examples on the Web In person, the image is spellbinding and compelling, a short story unto itself. Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Writing short stories, for me, is all about zooming in on something. Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The seventh annual contest, sponsored by the Friends of San Diego Central Library, highlights local short story authors and is part of the Local Author Program. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Based on a short story by Nobel Prize-winning Olga Tokarczuk, Winter of the Crow promises a similar mix of thriller, politics and mysticism as Tokarczuk’s adaptation Spoor from Agnieszka Holland, which won Berlin’s Silver Bear in 2017. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 Based on a short story from 1969, Stanley Kubrick acquired the rights but never lived to see the film made. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2024 Submissions sought for short story contest This year’s San Diego Public Library Short Story Contest will accept submissions starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 until the 100th submission is received. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Even before the siblings decided to pursue separate projects behind the camera, Ethan had a vibrant creative life outside of the partnership, having written plays, poetry, and a collection of short stories. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 His first novel, Fugitive Romance: The Fictional Memoir of a Hollywood Screenwriter, was released in 2013, followed by a short story collection titled Miracles & Misfits. EW.com, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'short 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

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of short story was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near short story

Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

short story

noun
: a short work of fiction usually dealing with a few characters and a single event

More from Merriam-Webster on short story

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!