9 a storm in a teacup → see teacup
sto rm cloud (storm clouds ) also stormcloud
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Storm clouds are the dark clouds which are seen before a storm.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] You can use storm clouds to refer to a sign that something very unpleasant is going to happen. [FORMAL ] □ Over the past three weeks, the storm clouds have gathered again over the government.
sto rm troop|er (storm troopers ) also stormtrooper N‑COUNT Storm troopers were members of a private Nazi army who were well-known for being violent.
stormy /stɔː r mi/ (stormier , stormiest )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If there is stormy weather, there are strong winds and heavy rain. □ It had been a night of stormy weather, with torrential rain and high winds.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Stormy seas have very large strong waves because there are strong winds. □ They make the treacherous journey across stormy seas.
3 ADJ If you describe a situation as stormy , you mean it involves a lot of angry argument or criticism. □ The letter was read at a stormy meeting.
sto|ry ◆◆◆ /stɔː ri/ (stories )
1 N‑COUNT A story is a description of imaginary people and events, which is written or told in order to entertain. □ I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits. □ …a popular love story with a happy ending.
2 N‑COUNT A story is a description of an event or something that happened to someone, especially a spoken description of it. □ The parents all shared interesting stories about their children. □ Isak's story is typical of a child who has a specific learning disability.
3 N‑COUNT The story of something is a description of all the important things that have happened to it since it began. □ [+ of ] …the story of the women's movement in Ireland.
4 N‑COUNT If someone invents a story , they give a false explanation or account of something. □ He invented some story about a cousin.
5 N‑COUNT A news story is a piece of news in a newspaper or in a news broadcast. □ Those are some of the top stories in the news. □ They'll do anything for a story. □ …front-page news stories.
6 → see storey , -storey
7 → see also cock-and-bull story , short story , sob story , success story , tall story
8 PHRASE In British English, you use to cut a long story short to indicate that you are going to state the final result of an event and not give any more details. In American English, you say to make a long story short . □ To cut a long story short, I ended up as managing director.
9 PHRASE You use a different story to refer to a situation, usually a bad one, which exists in one set of circumstances when you have mentioned that it does not exist in another set of circumstances. □ Where Marcella lives, rents are cheap, but further north it's a different story.
10 PHRASE If you say it's the same old story or it's the old story , you mean that something unpleasant or undesirable seems to happen again and again. □ It's the same old story. They want one person to do three people's jobs.
11 PHRASE If you say that something is only part of the story or is not the whole story , you mean that the explanation or information given is not enough for a situation to be fully understood. □ This may be true but it is only part of the story. □ Jane goes to great lengths to explain that this is not the whole story.
12 PHRASE If someone tells you their side of the story , they tell you why they behaved in a particular way and why they think they were right, when other people think that person behaved wrongly. □ He had already made up his mind before even hearing her side of the story.
story|board /stɔː ribɔː r d/ (storyboards ) N‑COUNT A storyboard is a set of pictures which show what will happen in something such as a film or advertisement that is being planned.
story|book /stɔː ribʊk/ (storybooks ) N‑COUNT A storybook is a book of stories for children.
story|line /stɔː rila I n/ (storylines ) N‑COUNT The storyline of a book, film, or play is its story and the way in which it develops. □ The surprise twists in the storyline are the film's greatest strength.
story|teller /stɔː ritelə r / (storytellers ) also story-teller N‑COUNT A storyteller is someone who tells or writes stories. □ He was the one who first set down the stories of the Celtic storytellers.
story|telling /stɔː ritel I ŋ/ also story-telling N‑UNCOUNT Storytelling is the activity of telling or writing stories. □ The programme is 90 minutes of dynamic Indian folk dance, live music and storytelling.
stout /staʊ t/ (stouter , stoutest )
1 ADJ A stout person is rather fat. □ He was a tall, stout man with gray hair.
2 ADJ Stout shoes, branches, or other objects are thick and strong. □ I hope you've both got stout shoes. □ …a stout oak door.
3 ADJ If you use stout to describe someone's actions, attitudes, or beliefs, you approve of them because they are strong and determined. [APPROVAL ] □ He produced a stout defence of the car business. ● stout|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ She stoutly defended her boss during the trial. □ …stoutly anti-imperialist nations.
stove /stoʊ v/ (stoves ) N‑COUNT A stove is a piece of equipment which provides heat, either for cooking or for heating a room. □ She put the kettle on the gas stove.