short story
noun
: 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
In late 2016, Rachel Khong began writing a short story.
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Liz Ohanesian, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
He’s also had short stories published in the New Yorker and in 2003 was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, putting him in esteemed company (other winners include Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion and Eudora Welty).
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The script is based on Chandler Baker’s short story, published by Amazon Original Stories.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Her latest book is a collection of short stories that focus on the lives of girls and women.
—Michael Schaub, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Its many questions begin to create a creeping sense of dread and nihilism, and that mood comes to a head in the last section, which is made up of three short stories and a series of questions about each.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
Another one requires a more creative approach, asking contracting prospects to write a fictional short story about a green dancing octopus, set in Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX offices on Nov. 8, 2022.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Now the best-selling author of over 60 novels and novellas, as well as 12 short story collections and five works of nonfiction, King has been terrifying readers for generations, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Since releasing his début novel, in 1983, Everett has published roughly a novel every other year in addition to dozens of short stories, essays, and articles, plus a children’s book and a half-dozen poetry collections.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Liz Ohanesian, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
He’s also had short stories published in the New Yorker and in 2003 was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, putting him in esteemed company (other winners include Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion and Eudora Welty).
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The script is based on Chandler Baker’s short story, published by Amazon Original Stories.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Her latest book is a collection of short stories that focus on the lives of girls and women.
—Michael Schaub, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Its many questions begin to create a creeping sense of dread and nihilism, and that mood comes to a head in the last section, which is made up of three short stories and a series of questions about each.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
Another one requires a more creative approach, asking contracting prospects to write a fictional short story about a green dancing octopus, set in Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX offices on Nov. 8, 2022.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Now the best-selling author of over 60 novels and novellas, as well as 12 short story collections and five works of nonfiction, King has been terrifying readers for generations, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Since releasing his début novel, in 1983, Everett has published roughly a novel every other year in addition to dozens of short stories, essays, and articles, plus a children’s book and a half-dozen poetry collections.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'short story.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near short story
Cite this Entry
“Short story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20story. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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