story of your life

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   the whole account of what has happened to someone, especially when it is long, complicated, or surprising.

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it takes a possessive word before 'story': the story of my life, the story of her life.

   Patterns

   • the story of someone's life
   • that's the story of my life

   She told me the story of her life over dinner, and it took three hours.

   The film is really the story of his life, from childhood to fame.

2. 2phraseidiominformalhumorous

   used to say that a disappointing or annoying thing that has just happened often happens to you.

   Grammar: Said as a short comment on its own, often with 'That's' or 'Story of my life' at the start of a sentence.

   Patterns

   • that's the story of my life
   • story of my life

   The bus left just as I reached the stop. Story of my life.

   I waited all week for the package and it arrived the day I went away. That's the story of my life.

Common combinations

tell the story of your life

He agreed to tell the story of his life to a journalist.

the story of my life

Missed the train again — the story of my life.

write the story of your life

After retiring, she wrote the story of her life in a small notebook.

that's the story of my life

I studied hard and the exam was canceled. That's the story of my life.

Synonyms and how they differ

life story

Means almost the same and is more neutral; it fits better in formal writing such as a book description.

biography

Refers to a written account of someone's life, usually by another person, so it is more formal and specific than this phrase.

Word family

story noun

A description of events, real or invented.

life story noun

A full account of a person's life, often used for books and films.

Commonly confused: story of your life or life story?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “story of your life”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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