backstory
noun
back·story
ˈbak-ˌstȯr-ē 
: a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film)
Examples of backstory in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
How much did that backstory help guide you here — for instance, the way Abbot commands a room…?
—
Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025
The backstory of the new Big Bad Wolf takes riders into a bustling Bavarian village during the eerily quiet Festival of the Silent Bells, the annual event that honors the haunting history of a terrifying wolf attack 41 years ago when the original coaster opened.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025
According to news stations and radios, the disease first showed up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the backstory of that discovery gets more detailed in the second episode of The Last of Us Season 1.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
Nick, a prequel to the original, offers us Carraway’s backstory as a soldier in World War I and a wanderer trying to find his way in a dissolute world.
—Danielle Teller, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstory
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025
The backstory of the new Big Bad Wolf takes riders into a bustling Bavarian village during the eerily quiet Festival of the Silent Bells, the annual event that honors the haunting history of a terrifying wolf attack 41 years ago when the original coaster opened.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025
According to news stations and radios, the disease first showed up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the backstory of that discovery gets more detailed in the second episode of The Last of Us Season 1.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025
Nick, a prequel to the original, offers us Carraway’s backstory as a soldier in World War I and a wanderer trying to find his way in a dissolute world.
—Danielle Teller, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstory
Cite this Entry
“Backstory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backstory. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share