Collocations for "stories"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "stories" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
story
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- a [true, romantic, sad, short, funny] story
- a [bedtime, children's, kids'] story
- told a [strong, convincing, weak] story
- [a tall, an unbelievable, an unlikely] story
- a likely story!
- [that's, it's] a long story
- (give me) the [full, complete] story
- can you [read, tell] me a story?
- [want, am going] to tell you a story
- anyway, to [cut, make] a long story short
- [write, publish, post] a story about
- [make up, come up with, invent] a story
- stop telling stories!
- the story [began, started, commenced] in [1890]
- the story began in [ancient, Victorian] times
- this is our story
- this is the story of
- the story of [Jack and the Beanstalk, two boys, how we met]
- the story behind the [making, star] of
- or so the story goes
- the story goes that
- the building has [five] stories
- on the [third] story (of)
- read a story book (to)
- story time
'stories' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
always
- bizarre
- bridge
- collection
- compile
- elevator
- enlighten
- entertain
- fabulous
- factual
- fantastic
- fray
- general
- ghost
- imaginative
- lost
- made
- old
- prejudice
- savage
- scare
- scary
- spanking
- story
- substantial
- such
- tall
- tally
- tell
- terrifying
- upper
- witch
- wizard