war story

noun

: a story of a memorable personal experience typically involving an element of danger, hardship, or adventure

politicians swapping war stories from past campaigns

Did you know?

People have been telling stories about real wars since long before Washington Irving wrote the following in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: "folks . . . sat smoking at one end of the piazza, . . . drawing out long stories about the war." But today tellers of "war stories" need not have experienced a literal battlefield. Around the middle of the 19th century, "war story" took on a more figurative meaning, and nowadays such accounts can encompass challenges in the workplace, on the campaign trail, in sports, in one's travels . . . wherever difficulties need to be overcome.

Examples of war story in a Sentence

He liked to tell war stories from his life as a sea captain.

We exchanged war stories about our time as interns at the same company.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instagram With his war stories about his deployments in Iraq and his sharp uniform decorated with service ribbons, Blauvelt impressed local teenagers. —Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025

Korshak told war stories of a life in promoting entertainment, of working closely with theater legends like Cameron Mackintosh and Garth Drabinsky, and of wrangling Barbra Streisand. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025

Kanchanaburi is where the bridge crosses the River Kwai, subject of one of the most beloved war stories in cinema. —Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025

Mentoring isn’t about sharing war stories, or telling people how to live their lives. —Chris Westfall, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for war story

• aurore
• forbore
• outlawry
• pylori
• savoury
• signori
• signory
• vainglory
• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory

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