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 People love spy stories, but there is nothing amusing, or romantic, about this one. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026 Long initially envisioned the event as an art exhibition, with the cars as the artwork and their owners’ stories providing the human connection. — Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Most Sherlock Holmes stories are mysteries – intricate, complex and brilliantly written. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Many pastors were migrants themselves and shared from the pulpit their stories of overcoming adversity. — Johanna Bard Richlin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 Teresa now encourages Leti and her brothers to keep telling their grandfather’s stories and cooking with Hatch chile, a family tradition. — Jenn Sinrich, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026 The Middle East Monitor, which brands itself as supportive of the Palestinian cause, had published at least 21 stories under bylines OpenAI said were fake including Hoskins, Michael Harrison, Jenny Williams and Alice Johnson. — Miriam Waldvogel, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 Kapoor will lead the creative direction, with Balaji retaining the underlying IP while tapping YouTube’s global distribution and advertising business — a savvy expansion that doesn’t involve surrendering ownership of her stories. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Hassan Babar, the festival’s artistic director, said such stories should not merely serve as counter-narratives. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stories
Noun
  • The story gains a sense of momentum and inevitability as these disconnected tales suddenly become part of a continuous thread.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • And in 2017, historian Alberto (Carlos González) struggles to figure out how the two preceding tales intersect, stumped until an academic (Glenn Close in a brief, striking cameo) steps in to help.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There’s an exodus reversal happening, as seen by a growing body of relevant anecdotes.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Beneath his commentary on trending topics and crowd interactions are anecdotes inspired by Brookzz’s family and his personal life, giving the debut a hint of intimacy and a glimpse into the man behind the charming grin and witty quips.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • One of the best actors working today, Coon essentially plays two different sides of Rita with astonishing range across these chronologies, portraying the past and the present of her character through distinctive markers.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And so those chronologies are really important for me in each one of these investigations.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The whispers about their similarities intensified on the announcement of the engagement of Crown Prince Hussein, son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, to Rajwa in August 2022.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 17 Oct. 2026
  • High prices also a factor But despite positive weather news and whispers of an abundance of crab, other factors could affect prices in adverse ways for consumers.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Closing that gap is where the real challenge—and opportunity—lies.
    — Anand Solanki, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Another way to hold accountable those spreading lies online is to sue them.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There’s no winking at the audience, no sense of camp or parody, just a lot of appealing interactions, plus some wholly superfluous tertiary plots added to expand the story to series length.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There’s also reassuring initial bite at the top of the travel, yet the setup doesn’t feel grabby or overly anxious in everyday driving situations.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the film’s situations emerged out of rehearsal improv.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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