history
♦♦♦ his|to|ry /h'ɪstəri/ (histories)
1 [N-UNCOUNT] usu with supp
You can refer to the events of the past as history. You can also refer to the past events which concern a particular topic or place as its history.
The Catholic Church has played a prominent role throughout Polish history.
...the most evil mass killer in history.
...the history of Birmingham.
[PHRASE] V inflects
Someone who makes history does something that is considered to be important and significant in the development of the world or of a particular society.
Willy Brandt made history by visiting East Germany in 1970.
[PHRASE] V inflects
If someone or something goes down in history, people in the future remember them because of particular actions that they have done or because of particular events that have happened.
Bradley will go down in history as Los Angeles' longest serving mayor.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
History is a subject studied in schools, colleges, and universities that deals with events that have happened in the past.
3 [N-COUNT] with supp, oft N of n
A history is an account of events that have happened in the past.
...his magnificent history of broadcasting in Canada.
4 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu a N of n/-ing
If a person or a place has a history of something, it has been very common or has happened frequently in their past.
He had a history of drink problems...
5 [N-COUNT] with poss
Someone's history is the set of facts that are known about their past.
He couldn't get a new job because of his medical history.
6 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that an event, thing, or person is history, you mean that they are no longer important.
The Charlottetown agreement is history.
7 [PHRASE]
If you are telling someone about an event and say the rest is history, you mean that you do not need to tell them what happened next because everyone knows about it already.
We met at college, the rest is history.
8
see also natural historyan|cient his|to|ry
[N-UNCOUNT]
Ancient history is the history of ancient civilizations, especially Greece and Rome.case his|to|ry (case histories)
[N-COUNT]
A person's case history is the record of past events or problems that have affected them, especially their medical history.
I took her to a homoeopath, who started by taking a very long and detailed case history.life his|to|ry (life histories)
[N-COUNT]
The life history of a person is all the things that happen to them during their life.
Some people give you their life history without much prompting.natu|ral his|to|ry
[N-UNCOUNT] usu N n
Natural history is the study of animals and plants and other living things.
Schools regularly bring children to the beach for natural history lessons.oral his|to|ry (oral histories)
[N-VAR]
Oral history consists of spoken memories, stories, and songs, and the study of these, as a way of communicating and discovering information about the past.
1 [N-UNCOUNT] usu with supp
You can refer to the events of the past as history. You can also refer to the past events which concern a particular topic or place as its history.
The Catholic Church has played a prominent role throughout Polish history.
...the most evil mass killer in history.
...the history of Birmingham.
[PHRASE] V inflects
Someone who makes history does something that is considered to be important and significant in the development of the world or of a particular society.
Willy Brandt made history by visiting East Germany in 1970.
[PHRASE] V inflects
If someone or something goes down in history, people in the future remember them because of particular actions that they have done or because of particular events that have happened.
Bradley will go down in history as Los Angeles' longest serving mayor.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
History is a subject studied in schools, colleges, and universities that deals with events that have happened in the past.
3 [N-COUNT] with supp, oft N of n
A history is an account of events that have happened in the past.
...his magnificent history of broadcasting in Canada.
4 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu a N of n/-ing
If a person or a place has a history of something, it has been very common or has happened frequently in their past.
He had a history of drink problems...
5 [N-COUNT] with poss
Someone's history is the set of facts that are known about their past.
He couldn't get a new job because of his medical history.
6 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that an event, thing, or person is history, you mean that they are no longer important.
The Charlottetown agreement is history.
7 [PHRASE]
If you are telling someone about an event and say the rest is history, you mean that you do not need to tell them what happened next because everyone knows about it already.
We met at college, the rest is history.
8
see also natural historyan|cient his|to|ry
[N-UNCOUNT]
Ancient history is the history of ancient civilizations, especially Greece and Rome.case his|to|ry (case histories)
[N-COUNT]
A person's case history is the record of past events or problems that have affected them, especially their medical history.
I took her to a homoeopath, who started by taking a very long and detailed case history.life his|to|ry (life histories)
[N-COUNT]
The life history of a person is all the things that happen to them during their life.
Some people give you their life history without much prompting.natu|ral his|to|ry
[N-UNCOUNT] usu N n
Natural history is the study of animals and plants and other living things.
Schools regularly bring children to the beach for natural history lessons.oral his|to|ry (oral histories)
[N-VAR]
Oral history consists of spoken memories, stories, and songs, and the study of these, as a way of communicating and discovering information about the past.