📒 a description of events and people that the writer or speaker has invented in order to entertain people
- a tragic love story
- adventure/detective stories
- a bedtime story
📒 the series of events in a book, film, play, etc.
- Her novels always have the same basic story.
- The screenplay sticks to the original story.
- The character's central story arc involves a difficult choice between love and duty.
📒 an account of past events or of how something has developed
- The film is based on a true story.
- to recount/relate a story
- story of something/somebody He told us the story of his life.
📒 an account, often spoken, of what happened to somebody or of how something happened
- The police didn't believe her story.
- I suspected he hadn't told us the whole story.
- It was many years before the full story was made public.
📒 a report in a newspaper, magazine or news broadcast
- a front-page story
- Now for a summary of tonight's main news stories.
- Let's check the top stories right now.
📒 something that somebody says which is not true
- She knew the child had been telling stories again.
📒 a level of a building; a floor
📒 used to show that you do not believe what somebody has said
- You just found it lying in the street? A likely story!
- He said he'd met Rihanna. A likely story.
📒 used when you are saying that you will get to the point of what you are saying quickly, without including all the details
- To cut a long story short, we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning!
- Anyway, long story short: we had this argument and I haven't seen him since.
📒 what usually happens
- It's the same old story of a badly managed project with inadequate funding.
📒 to tell somebody a story or make an excuse that is not true
📒 used to describe something that people are saying although it may not be correct
- She never saw him again—or so the story goes.
- The story goes that this castle was founded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
📒 to give some information that is different from what you expect or have been told
- These drugs are widely believed to be effective medications. The data, however, tell a different story.
📒 to explain itself, without needing any further explanation or comment
- Her face told its own story.
📒 when you say that’s the story of my life about a bad experience you have had, you mean you have had many similar experiences
- Another missed opportunity—that’s the story of my life!
- Out of work with no money—that's the story of my life.