historynoun
uk/ˈhɪs.tər.i/us/ˈhɪs.t̬ɚ.i/history noun (PAST EVENTS)
A2 [ C or U ] (the study of or a record of) past events considered together, especially events of a particular period, country, or subject:
I studied modern European history at college.
American history
Annie's decided to write a history of electronic music.
I only asked him for a cigarette, but two hours later he'd told me his whole life history.
[ U ] informal something that happened or ended a long time ago and is not important now, or a person who is not important now, although they were in the past:
Last year's report is ancient history and totally irrelevant to the current situation.
"What about Dan - are you still seeing him?" "Oh, he's history."
More examples
- Our guide told us a lot about the history of the castle.
- He is the author of two books on French history.
- Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the question of whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
- The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the dawn of a new era in European history.
- He knows a lot about the history of this area, so he is often asked to speak at local clubs and societies.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
History - general words
- a page in/of history idiom
- Age of Exploration
- annals
- antiquarian
- antiquary
- antique
- historian
- historic
- historical
- legacy
- modern
- oral history
- oral tradition
- page
- the Agrarian Revolution
- time
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Subjects & disciplines
In the past
history noun (PARTICULAR RECORD)
C1 [ C usually singular ] something that has been done or experienced by a particular person or thing repeatedly over a long period:
Her family has a history of heart problems.
There's a long history of industrial disputes at the factory.
He has a good credit history (= a good record of paying money that he owes).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Events and occurrences
- -athon
- a close call idiom
- a close/near thing idiom
- action
- all-nighter
- back story
- be (all) part of life's rich tapestry/pageant idiom
- development
- event
- goings-on
- happening
- incident
- jamboree
- life event
- past
- spree
- synchronicity
- thing
- to-ing and fro-ing
- turn of events
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Idiom(s)
make history