oral history

noun

1

: a recording containing information about the past obtained from in-depth interviews concerning personal experiences, recollections, and reflections

also : the study of such information

2

: a written work based on oral history

oral historian noun

Examples of oral history in a Sentence

I'm reading an oral history of the Great Depression.

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite standard commemorations like biographies, building dedications, oral histories, and even a postage stamp, Perkins receded from memory by the late 20th century, becoming little more than a trivia answer. —Rebecca Brenner Graham / Made By History, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024

The answer, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s 2017 oral history of Batman Returns, is simple: The studio wanted a more family-friendly creative behind the camera, and Burton’s sophomore outing in Gotham City was decidedly too dark. —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

Madigan’s early days can be culled, in part, from an oral history project at the University of Illinois Chicago about the life of Richard J. Daley and a deposition Madigan gave in a federal lawsuit, both documents prosecutors have carefully reviewed. —Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024

So much online is an oral history, and such is the same with chudai. —Mikelle Street, Them, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1