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Webster 1913 Edition

Story

Sto′ry

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Stories
(#)
.
[OF.
estoré
,
estorée
, built, erected, p. p. of
estorer
to build, restore, to store. See
Store
,
Verb.
T.
]
A set of rooms on the same floor or level; a floor, or the space between two floors. Also, a horizontal division of a building’s exterior considered architecturally, which need not correspond exactly with the stories within.
[Written also
storey
.]
☞ A story comprehends the distance from one floor to another; as, a story of nine or ten feet elevation. The spaces between floors are numbered in order, from below upward; as, the lower, second, or third story; a house of one story, of two stories, of five stories.
Story post
(Arch.)
,
a vertical post used to support a floor or superincumbent wall.

Sto′ry

,
Noun.
[OE.
storie
, OF.
estoire
, F.
histoire
, fr. L.
historia
. See
History
.]
1.
A narration or recital of that which has occurred; a description of past events; a history; a statement; a record.
One malcontent who did indeed get a name in
story
.
Barrow.
Venice, with its unique city and its Impressive
story
.
Ed. Rev.
The four great monarchies make the subject of ancient
story
.
Sir W. Temple.
2.
The relation of an incident or minor event; a short narrative; a tale; especially, a fictitious narrative less elaborate than a novel; a short romance.
Addison.
3.
A euphemism or child's word for “a lie;” a fib;
as, to tell a
story
.
[Colloq.]

Sto′ry

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Storied
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Storying
.]
To tell in historical relation; to make the subject of a story; to narrate or describe in story.
How worthy he is I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than
story
him in his own hearing.
Shakespeare
It is
storied
of the brazen colossus in Rhodes, that it was seventy cubits high.
Bp. Wilkins.

Webster 1828 Edition

Story

STORY

,
Noun.
[L., Gr.]
1.
A verbal narration or recital of a series of facts or incidents. WE observe in children a strong passion for hearing stories.
2.
A written narrative of a series of facts or events. There is probably on record no story more interesting than that of Joseph in Genesis.
3.
History; a written narrative or account of past transactions, whether relating to nations or individuals.
The four great monarchies make the subject of ancient story.
4.
Petty tale; relation of a single incident or of trifling incidents.
5.
A trifling tale; a fiction; a fable; as the story of a fairy. In popular usage, story is sometimes a softer term for a lie.
6.
A loft; a floor; or a set of rooms on the same floor or level. A story comprehends the distance from one floor to another; as a story of nine or ten feet elevation. Hence each floor terminating the space is called a story; as a house of one story, of two stories, of five stories. The farm houses in New England have usually two stories; the houses in Paris have usually five stories; a few have more; those in London four. But in the United States the floor next the ground is the first story; in France and England, the first floor or story, is the second from the ground.

STORY

, v.t.
1.
To tell in historical relation; to narrate.
How worthy he is, I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing.
It is storied of the brazen colossus in Rhodes, that it was seventy cubits high.
[This verb is chiefly used in the passive participle.]
2.
To range one under another. [Little used.]

Definition 2024

Story

Story

See also: story

German

Noun

Story f ‎(genitive Story, plural Storys)

  1. A plot of a film or video game.
  2. A made-up story, a lie, used as an excuse for something.

story

story

See also: Story

English

Alternative forms

Noun

story ‎(plural stories)

  1. A sequence of real or fictional events; or, an account of such a sequence.
    • Ed. Rev.
      Venice, with its unique city and its impressive story
    • Sir W. Temple
      The four great monarchies make the subject of ancient story.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
      The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.
    • 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
      Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
    The book tells the story of two roommates.‎
  2. A lie.
    You’ve been telling stories again, haven’t you?‎
  3. (US, colloquial, usually pluralized) A soap opera.
    What will she do without being able to watch her stories?‎
  4. (obsolete) History.
    • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:
      […] 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.
  5. A sequence of events, or a situation, such as might be related in an account.
    What's the story with him?‎
    I tried it again; same story, no error message, nothing happened.‎
Usage notes
  • (soap opera): Popularized in the 1950s, when soap operas were often billed as "continuing stories", the term "story" to describe a soap opera fell into disuse by the 21st century and is now used chiefly among older people and in rural areas. Other English-speaking countries used the term at its zenith as a "loaned" word from the United States.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

story ‎(third-person singular simple present stories, present participle storying, simple past and past participle storied)

  1. To tell as a story; to relate or narrate about.
    • Shakespeare
      How worthy he is I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing.
    • Bishop Wilkins
      It is storied of the brazen colossus in Rhodes, that it was seventy cubits high.

Etymology 2

From Middle English story, from Old French *estoree ‎(“a thing built, a building”), from estoree ‎(“built”), feminine past participle of estorer ‎(“to build”), from Latin instaurare ‎(“to construct, build, erect”).

Alternative forms

Noun

story ‎(plural stories)

  1. (obsolete) A building or edifice.
  2. (chiefly US) A floor or level of a building; a storey.
    Our shop was on the fourth story of the building, so we had to install an elevator.‎
Synonyms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: information · seem · book · #469: story · deep · meet · interest

Anagrams

Etymology

From English story.

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