stories

plural of story
1
as in tales
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel he's a talented writer, but his quirky stories will never find a wide readership

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2
as in anecdotes
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally Grandpa is always telling stories about what it was like growing up on a farm

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3
4
5
6
as in plots
the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work the story proceeds at a pace that many readers will find a bit too leisurely

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7
as in situations
position with regard to conditions and circumstances management is trying to figure out what the story is with the accident down in the warehouse

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of stories During their visit, the wife talked incessantly, sharing stories about their family members in great detail. R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2026 Elwood’s conversations with CNN were peppered with alarming stories and punctuated by his broad, disarming laugh. Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Professional sports exist to tell stories, and those stories exist to sell things. Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 His approach combines research on neuroscience and productivity with personal experience and stories. John Hall, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Matt Martin, 47th, would allow one interior exit stairs in new apartment buildings up to five stories and no more than four units per floor, while ensuring that every building has sprinklers, short travel distances, fire alarms and smoke detection. Adam Drakulic, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 At Khan & Kumar Media, we’re drawn to stories that resonate across cultures and borders, and ‘Forgotten Spaceman’ does exactly that. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Aug. 2026 Sixth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 White began wondering whether stories like Phillips’ could be understood as their own declarations of independence. Reginald David, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stories
Noun
  • In forums on Reddit, women share tales of having perimenopause and menopause symptoms misdiagnosed or dismissed as mental health disorders, early-onset dementia, or autoimmune issues, resulting in months or years of unnecessary testing.
    Yulin Hswen, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Vedder’s elliptical tales of adolescent trauma were a perfect fit with music that blended classic-rock tropes (especially McCready’s solos) with punk energy, grunge guitar tones and the groove-heavy vibe of early-Nineties alt-rock.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a hodgepodge of financial advice and confusing diagrams held together by anecdotes from Kiyosaki’s childhood.
    Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The sporting anecdotes appear reassuring for Haaland, but Patrick Mahomes provides a strong reason for caution.
    Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • And so those chronologies are really important for me in each one of these investigations.
    Terry Gross, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Plaintiff attorneys have built similar tools capable of producing polished demand letters, medical chronologies, and settlement ranges using massive legal datasets.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Last year, footage of a skeleton prop at a winter Zac Brown Band concert drew whispers of devil worship.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But his contract runs out in March, and for nearly a year there have been whispers that his extension is coming soon.
    Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • From February 2022 until they were arrested on Monday, Love and Chan solicited money from women in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho through lies and misrepresentations, according to the United States Attorney’s Office in Portland.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The film follows an 11-year-old boy who exploits his brother’s tragic death to fight his father and his community, until his lies expose the hypocrisy and corruption beneath a seemingly moral society.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • King said when individuals were buried on top of one another, the cemetery’s management removed the tombstones and resold the plots.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The dissident, Siamak Tadayon Tahmasbi, had been accused by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence of directing terrorist plots tied to Israeli intelligence.
    Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • He’s gotten out of every jam so far, and has become the Mets’ favorite arm in late-inning situations with runners on base.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Then there’s freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, who contributed two huge tackles in the second half in critical situations.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • There have always been short books, some traditionally noted as novellas (20,000-40,000 words), yet not marketed as such.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The series currently encompasses nine sub-series arcs, standalone novels, novellas, English-language manga and graphic novels.
    Mya Copeland, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Stories.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stories. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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