his·to·ry
Pronounced:
/ˈhɪstəri/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural his·to·riesMeaning:
1 [noncount] : the study of past events ▪ I studied history in college. ▪ a professor of medieval/American history —see also natural history
2 [noncount] a : events of the past ▪ They were one of the greatest teams in history. ▪ the dawn of recorded history [=the beginning of the time when important events in the past were written down] ▪ These problems have occurred throughout (human) history. ▪ It was one of the most destructive storms in modern/recent history. ▪ It was a period in American history when most people lived and worked on farms. ▪ Her discoveries have earned her a place in history. [=she will be remembered in the future because of her discoveries] ▪ How will history judge the policies of the current administration? [=how will the policies be regarded in the future?] ▪ History has shown that such attempts have always failed. [=such attempts have always failed in the past] ▪ They believe that they will succeed because history is on their side. [=because other people have succeeded in the past in similar situations] ▪ You can't rewrite history. [=you can't change what has happened in the past] ▪ A talent scout spotted her behind the counter at a soda fountain and the rest is history. [=the rest of the story about her success is well-known] ▪ They won the championship last year. Will history repeat itself this year? [=will the same thing happen again?] b : past events that relate to a particular subject, place, organization, etc. ▪ He gave us a tour of the building and told us about the company's history. [=about how the company began and how it has developed over time] ▪ The company has been successful throughout its history. [=throughout the entire time of its existence] ▪ Nothing like this has occurred before in the company's 20-year history. [=in the 20 years that the company has existed] ▪ There is quite a bit of history [=much has happened] in this old house. ▪ The history of space exploration is a fascinating topic. ▪ The school can trace its history back to the early 19th century. [=the school has existed since the early 19th century]
3 [count] : a written record of important events that have happened since the beginning of something ▪ He wrote a well-known history of the British empire. ▪ The book begins with a brief/short history of the Internet.
4 [count] : an established record of past events, actions, etc. —usually singular ▪ The patient has no (prior) history of heart problems. [=she has not had heart problems in the past] ▪ The prisoner has a history of violence. [=the prisoner has been violent in the past] ▪ a patient's medical history [=a record of past medical problems and treatments] ▪ a worker's employment history [=a record of jobs that a worker has had] ▪ It's hard to buy a car if you don't have any credit history. [=if you have not borrowed and repaid money in the past] ▪ They have a family history of heart disease. [=many people in their family have suffered from heart disease in the past]
5 [noncount] informal : someone or something that is finished ▪ Their winning streak was history. [=their winning streak was finished/over] ▪ His boss told him that if he was late one more time, he would be history. [=he would be fired]
2 [noncount] a : events of the past ▪ They were one of the greatest teams in history. ▪ the dawn of recorded history [=the beginning of the time when important events in the past were written down] ▪ These problems have occurred throughout (human) history. ▪ It was one of the most destructive storms in modern/recent history. ▪ It was a period in American history when most people lived and worked on farms. ▪ Her discoveries have earned her a place in history. [=she will be remembered in the future because of her discoveries] ▪ How will history judge the policies of the current administration? [=how will the policies be regarded in the future?] ▪ History has shown that such attempts have always failed. [=such attempts have always failed in the past] ▪ They believe that they will succeed because history is on their side. [=because other people have succeeded in the past in similar situations] ▪ You can't rewrite history. [=you can't change what has happened in the past] ▪ A talent scout spotted her behind the counter at a soda fountain and the rest is history. [=the rest of the story about her success is well-known] ▪ They won the championship last year. Will history repeat itself this year? [=will the same thing happen again?] b : past events that relate to a particular subject, place, organization, etc. ▪ He gave us a tour of the building and told us about the company's history. [=about how the company began and how it has developed over time] ▪ The company has been successful throughout its history. [=throughout the entire time of its existence] ▪ Nothing like this has occurred before in the company's 20-year history. [=in the 20 years that the company has existed] ▪ There is quite a bit of history [=much has happened] in this old house. ▪ The history of space exploration is a fascinating topic. ▪ The school can trace its history back to the early 19th century. [=the school has existed since the early 19th century]
3 [count] : a written record of important events that have happened since the beginning of something ▪ He wrote a well-known history of the British empire. ▪ The book begins with a brief/short history of the Internet.
4 [count] : an established record of past events, actions, etc. —usually singular ▪ The patient has no (prior) history of heart problems. [=she has not had heart problems in the past] ▪ The prisoner has a history of violence. [=the prisoner has been violent in the past] ▪ a patient's medical history [=a record of past medical problems and treatments] ▪ a worker's employment history [=a record of jobs that a worker has had] ▪ It's hard to buy a car if you don't have any credit history. [=if you have not borrowed and repaid money in the past] ▪ They have a family history of heart disease. [=many people in their family have suffered from heart disease in the past]
5 [noncount] informal : someone or something that is finished ▪ Their winning streak was history. [=their winning streak was finished/over] ▪ His boss told him that if he was late one more time, he would be history. [=he would be fired]
ancient history —see ancient
go down in history
: to be remembered as a very important person or event ▪ The discovery of the structure of DNA will go down in history.
make history
: to do something that is very important or famous and that will be remembered as part of history ▪ They made history by discovering the structure of DNA.