a long story
noun
: a description of how something happened that is complicated to explain
"Why are you late?" "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
Examples of a long story in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To make a long story short, this disabled parrot uses his half-beak to stab his adversaries.
—
Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 6 May 2026
That’s also a long story, which Hokum eventually gets around to filling in the blanks.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
To make a long story short: Insults qualify those who make them, not those who suffer them.
—Simone Marchetti, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
To make a long story short, the missing money was shifted to an insurance company (and Monty maxed out coverage on the house and planes) to avoid paying any income tax.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
To make a long story short, I frequent comic stores.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Heinola had great luck in terms of making the NHL early, poor luck with injuries and a long story with ups and downs in between.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Bianca He / Newsweek The bankruptcy marked the lowest point in a long story of urban decline and disrepair, during which the city lost more than 200,000 residents in a decade.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
And, to make a long story short, birds see these colors.
—Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
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Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 6 May 2026
That’s also a long story, which Hokum eventually gets around to filling in the blanks.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
To make a long story short: Insults qualify those who make them, not those who suffer them.
—Simone Marchetti, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
To make a long story short, the missing money was shifted to an insurance company (and Monty maxed out coverage on the house and planes) to avoid paying any income tax.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
To make a long story short, I frequent comic stores.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Heinola had great luck in terms of making the NHL early, poor luck with injuries and a long story with ups and downs in between.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Bianca He / Newsweek The bankruptcy marked the lowest point in a long story of urban decline and disrepair, during which the city lost more than 200,000 residents in a decade.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
And, to make a long story short, birds see these colors.
—Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“A long story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20long%20story. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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