- history
- noun1 the past, esp. as a subject of studyADJECTIVE▪ contemporary, early, recent▪
the early history of the trade union movement
▪things that happened in recent history
▪ ancient, medieval, modern▪ human▪ local▪ family▪ American, British, world, etc.▪ official▪the official history of the university
▪ revisionist▪ recorded▪The debate about the origins of the universe has been going on throughout recorded history.
▪ oral▪Oral history provides an account of those aspects of people's experience that are not recorded in documents.
▪ intellectual▪ art, church, cultural, economic, literary, military, political, social, etc.▪ environmental (esp. AmE), evolutionary, geologic (AmE), geological▪ past▪They had an affair once, but that's past history now (= no longer important or relevant).
… OF HISTORY▪ piece▪She created a piece of history by winning her fourth title.
VERB + HISTORY▪ be steeped in▪a building that is steeped in history
▪ go down in, make, pass into▪He will go down in history as a wise adviser and a kind man.
▪He made history by being the first man to walk on the moon.
▪ fade into▪The war has now faded into history.
▪ trace▪The regiment traces its history back to 1803.
▪ chronicle, document, write▪ recount, relate, tell▪ distort, rewrite▪her attempt to rewrite history with herself in the role of heroine
▪ reconstructHISTORY + VERB▪ go back to sth▪The town's history goes back to colonial times.
▪ go back …▪The history of this organization goes back many years.
▪ reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth, teach sth, tell sth▪History shows that high approval ratings are no guarantee of re-election.
▪History teaches us that New Zealand teams are almost unbeatable on their own turf.
▪ repeat itself▪Years later, family history repeated itself with Eve's daughters.
HISTORY + NOUN▪ book (figurative)▪She has earned her place in the history books.
PREPOSITION▪ during sth's history▪The country has suffered several invasions during its history.
▪ in (sth's) history▪the most extraordinary meeting in history
▪the best player in the sport's history
▪ history of▪the history of the world
▪She studies history of art.
▪ throughout history▪There have been conflicts such as this throughout history.
PHRASES▪ change the course of history▪events that could change the course of history
▪ a period of history▪This is a fascinating period of history.
▪ the lessons of history (figurative)▪ the rest is history (= the rest of the story does not need to be told because it is well known)▪ a sense of history▪a people with no sense of history
▪ a slice of history▪The team grabbed a slice of history here today (= achieved sth that will be remembered).
2 facts about sb/sth's life/existence in the pastADJECTIVE▪ chequered/checkered, colourful/colorful, fascinating, interesting, rich, turbulent▪The city has a rich and fascinating history.
▪ long▪She has a long history of mental illness.
▪ previous, subsequent▪ shared▪ case▪She familiarized herself with the case history of her new patient.
▪ credit, employment, family, life, medical, personal, sexual▪The doctor will need some details of your medical history.
▪I know nothing about his personal history.
VERB + HISTORY▪ have▪They have a history of trying to interfere.
PREPOSITION▪ history of▪a history of heart disease in the family
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
