yarn /jɑːn $ jɑːrn/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: gearn ]
1 . [uncountable] thick thread made of cotton or wool, which is used to ↑ knit things
2 . [countable] informal a story of adventures, travels etc, usually made more exciting and interesting by adding things that never really happened:
The old captain would often spin (=tell) us a yarn about life aboard ship.
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THESAURUS
▪ story a description of how something happened that is intended to entertain people, and may be true or imaginary:
a ghost story
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a love story
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It’s a story about a man who loses his memory.
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a book of short stories
▪ tale a story about strange imaginary events, or exciting events that happened in the past:
a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
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I loved hearing tales of his travels.
▪ myth noun [uncountable and countable] a very old imaginary story about gods and magical creatures:
an ancient myth
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Greek and Roman myths
▪ legend noun [uncountable and countable] an old story about brave people or magical events that are probably not true:
popular legends of the creation of the world
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According to legend, King Arthur was buried there.
▪ fable a traditional imaginary short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals:
the fable of the tortoise and the hare
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a Chinese fable
▪ epic a story told in a long book, film, or poem which is about great or exciting events, especially in history:
an epic about 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace
▪ saga a story about a series of events that take place over a long period of time, especially events involving one family:
a family saga beginning in the 1880s
▪ yarn informal a long exciting story that is not completely true:
The movie’s a rattling good yarn and full of action.