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

Years later, executive producer and writer Liz Sarnoff explained it in Vulture’s oral history of the Lost finale. —Julie Tremaine, People.com, 23 May 2025

Tracing the Franklin expedition’s footsteps Past this point in the story, the record is dotted with blanks that can only be filled in by archaeological finds, Inuit oral histories and scant documentary evidence. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

Most of the quotes in this column can be found on the Miller Center website's George H. W. Bush presidential oral history pages: www.millercenter.org. —Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025

Students, read the entire article and then tell us: What is your reaction to Mr. Nguyen’s essay and the story of his father’s oral history project? —Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oral history

• ethnohistory
• consistory
• mystery