What does "story" mean?
An account of real or fictional events.
Story
/ˈstɔː.ɹi/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An account of real or fictional events.
- Grammar: story is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: account, narrative, report, tale.
- Useful contrasts: disorder, fact, falsehood.
- Usage evidence: If anyone was to ask what the point of the story is, I really don't know.
How to use "story"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "story" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "story" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "story" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "story" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "story" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "account" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "story", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An account of real or fictional events.
"The book tells the story of two roommates."
- 2 Alternative spelling of storey. Philippines, US, alt-of, alternative
"Our shop was on the fourth story of the building, so we had to install an elevator."
- 3 a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale wordnet
- 4 A lie, fiction.
"You’ve been telling stories again, haven’t you?"
- 5 a piece of fiction that narrates a chain of related events wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A soap opera. US, colloquial
"What will she do without being able to watch her stories?"
- 7 a record or narrative description of past events wordnet
- 8 History. obsolete
"[…] who is so unread or so uncatechis'd in story, that hath not heard of many sects refusing books as a hindrance, and preserving their doctrine unmixt for many ages, only by unwritt'n traditions."
- 9 a short account of the news wordnet
- 10 A sequence of events, or a situation, such as might be related in an account.
"What's the story with him?"
- 11 a trivial lie wordnet
- 12 A chronological collection of pictures or short videos published by a user on an application or website that is typically only available for a short period. capitalized, sometimes
"Worshippers in Mecca are streaming their stories live on Snapchat, opening up the Saudi city to non-Muslims online."
- 13 a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program wordnet
- 14 Ellipsis of user story. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Verb
- 1 To tell as a story; to relate or narrate about. transitive
"How worthy he is I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing."
- 2 To post a story (chronological collection of pictures or short videos) on an application or website. ambitransitive, capitalized, sometimes
"But Portman, quite self-deprecating about her social-media savvy, says she . . . isn’t quite fully at ease yet with the world of double-taps and geotags and storying."
Intj
- 1 Used as a greeting, short for what's the story? Ireland, idiomatic
"*Any non-Irish person should be aware that it is not necessary to take the question literally i.e. one shouldn't start to explain your life story when greeted with 'What's the story?' rather they should respond in kind e.g. Greeting: 'What's the story?' Response: 'What's the story?' There are several variations on the theme, the most popular being 'What's the story, bud?' or the pithy : 'Story, bud?' or the pithier still 'Story?'"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 An unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States.
- 3 An unincorporated community in Van Buren Township, Brown County, Indiana.
- 4 A ghost town in St. Clair County, Missouri.
- 5 An unincorporated community in Sioux County, Nebraska.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A census-designated place in Sheridan County, Wyoming.
Example
"If anyone was to ask what the point of the story is, I really don't know."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "story"?
Common synonyms include: account, narrative, report, tale, account, action.
How do you use "story" in a sentence?
If anyone was to ask what the point of the story is, I really don't know.
How do you pronounce "story"?
Pronounced /ˈstɔː.ɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie by aphesis, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā, “learning through research”). Doublet of history and storey.
Etymology 2
Alternative form of what's the story (“how are you?”)