short story

noun

Synonyms of short storynext
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His story collection, Tenth of December, was a finalist for the National Book Award which won the inaugural Folio Prize for the best work of fiction in English and the Story Prize for best short story collection. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026 Khoosat ended up buying the rights to her short story collection. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 From gritty political reality to absurdly cutting political commentary, tongue-in-cheek parody to touching, intimate drama (plus a moody adaptation of a Russian short story), voters have a wide selection from which to choose. Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 One short story about a boy in Tijuana juggling fire on the street took her nearly two years to write. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for short story

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

short story

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

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