easy
Grandpa told a funny story about his first day at school.
What does Story mean?
A story is an account of connected events, real or imagined.
Dictionary definition
A story is an account of connected events, whether real or imagined. It can be a fictional tale, a news report, someone’s explanation of events, or informally a claim that may be untrue. In phrases such as another story or the whole story, it can mean a situation or fuller explanation. In North American English, a story is also one level of a building; British English usually spells that building sense storey.
Example sentences
Story in a sentence
medium
The reporter checked every fact before publishing the news story.
medium
Both witnesses told the same story about what they saw.
hard
That excuse sounds like a story you invented after the vase broke.
hard
The library occupies the top story of the building.
hard
The first experiment worked, but the second was another story.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice story in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Story
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does story mean in “The podcast tells the true story of the rescue” ?
The podcast tells an organized account of events that really happened.
Practice 2
Which sentence uses the North American building meaning of story?
Here, story means one level of a building; British English usually spells this sense storey.
Practice 3
Choose the best word: The reporter interviewed two people before writing the news ____.
A news story is a report about an event; storey is the usual British spelling for a building level.
Practice complete
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You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
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Story
Voice settings
Sounds like
stor · ee · strongest beat: stor
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordStory.
Partnoun.
MeaningStory means A story is an account of connected events, real or imagined.
ExampleExample: Grandpa told a funny story about his first day at school.
Word breakdown
2 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- stor · ee
- Strongest beat
- stor
- Ending
- ee
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on stor.
Your turn
Say Story
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Nice work—you practiced story.
Synonyms
Words like Story
Antonym review
Does Story have an opposite?
Story has no single direct opposite because a story may be true, fictional, or misleading. Fact contrasts only with an invented or false story, not with true stories or news stories.
Synonym practice
Want to practice story synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The story was about a brave mouse," then compare close word choices. Practice story synonyms.
Word family
Story word family
Base word
story
noun
stories
More than one story; the final y changes to ies.
noun
storyteller
A person who tells or creates stories.
noun
storytelling
The art or activity of telling stories.
noun
storybook
A book containing one or more stories, especially for children.
Related words
Explore related words
Student support
Understand Story
Hint for students
Look for connected events. If the context is a building, story means a level instead.
Common mix-up
Story does not automatically mean fiction or lie. A story can report true events, and phrases such as another story can refer to a different situation. For a building level, North American English usually uses story, while British English uses storey.
Try it in class or at home
Sort short examples into true account, fiction, news report, questionable excuse, and building level. Students underline one clue in each example and then write a headline for the news-story example.
Teacher prompt
Compare a true story, a fictional story, a news story, and a building story. Which context clues identify each meaning?
Word Wheel
Practice with the School Words Wheel
This word is part of WordHive's researched School Words collection. Spin the complete wheel to review meanings, discuss classroom connections, and practice using school vocabulary in sentences.
Learning activities
Practice Story and explore more word games
Cards labelled “Practice STORY” keep this word in focus. Explore cards open games with other words.
Practice STORY
Sentence Builder
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Write a sentence with STORY
Explore · Spelling
Spell Hive
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Vocabulary Match
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Match meanings
Explore · Context
Context Clue Challenge
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Use context clues
Explore · Scramble
Scrambled Bees
Rebuild words from mixed-up letters for spelling practice.
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