story

/ˈstɔːri/
nounBeginner
informal

An account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment or to convey a message.

She told me a fascinating story about her travels.

Her novel is a gripping story about love and betrayal.

💡

Can refer to both fictional and non-fictional narratives.

informal

A sequence of events or a situation that develops in a particular way.

The story of his rise to fame is inspiring.

The story behind the invention is quite interesting.

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Often used metaphorically to describe real-life events.

Collocations

tell a storyto narrate an accountshort storya brief fictional narrativetrue storya factual account

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

bedtime storyphrase
a story told to children before sleep
storytimephrase
a designated time for storytelling

💡Pro Tip

Usage Tip

Use 'story' for both fictional and real-life narratives, but specify 'true story' if referring to factual events.

Gold Rule

Grammar Rule

'Story' is a countable noun. Use 'a story' for singular and 'stories' for plural.

📖Word Origin

From Middle English 'storie', from Old French 'estoire', from Latin 'historia', meaning 'narrative, account, history'.

📝Usage Notes

Can be used both literally (as a narrative) and metaphorically (as a sequence of events).

Word Breakdown

story
narrative or account
root
English Dictionary