Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
history
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/ˈhɪst(ə)ri/ 
| singular | history |
| plural | histories |
- 1[uncountable] the whole of time before the present, and all things that happened in that timein recorded history:
These temperatures are the highest in recorded history.
throughout history:Attitudes toward gender roles have changed throughout history.
recent history:Simpson is perhaps the most famous American in recent history to be charged with murder.
- a.[singular/uncountable] the things that have happened in a particular place or to a particular group of people
I’m writing a book on this area’s history.
The university has a distinguished history.
a checkered history (=in which both good and bad things have happened):an unusual building with a checkered history
the history of Spain
U.S./world/Western history
phrases
be history
go down in history
or take your place in history
have a history of something
- 2if you have a history of a medical condition or other problem, you have had it before
She has a history of skipping school.
have a family history of something (=a situation in which several members of a family have had the same problem or medical condition):They have a family history of heart disease.
history in the making
history is repeating itself
history will show/record/judge etc.
make history
the rest is history
This is the American English definition of history. View British English definition of history.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
watchword
a word or phrase that expresses someone’s attitude or intention
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog