From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmythmyth /mɪθ/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable, uncountable] 1 BELIEVEan idea or story that many people believe, but which is not true SYN fallacymyth of the myth of male superioritymyth that It was important to dispel the myth that AIDS was a gay disease.2 RMan ancient story, especially one invented in order to explain natural or historical events → mythology a book of Greek mythsmyth of the myth of Orpheus the giants of myth and fairytale → urban myth► see thesaurus at storyCOLLOCATIONSverbscreate a mythStalin created a lot of myths about himself.believe a mythPeople still believe the myth that money will bring them happiness.explode/dispel/debunk a myth (=show that it is not true)Our goal is to debunk the myth that science is boring.perpetuate a myth (=make it continue)Let’s stop perpetuating this myth. a myth grows up (=starts)A number of myths have grown up about their relationship.a myth persists (=it continues)The myth still persists that we need to build more roads.myth has it that ... (=there is a myth that)Myth had it that Mrs Thatcher only needed four hours sleep a night.adjectivesa common/popular myth (=that many people believe)Contrary to popular myth, most road accidents are not the result of speeding.a modern mythIs it a modern myth that we are living in a classless society?a powerful myth (=that has a lot of influence on people)There is a powerful myth that crime has increased – in fact there was much more crime 100 years ago.an enduring myth (=that has continued for a long time)The idea that Kennedy was shot by the CIA is one of the enduring myths of our time.phrasesbe a complete/total mythIt’s a complete myth that eating carrots helps you to see in the dark.be a bit of a myth (=be not really true)The whole story is a bit of a myth.the myths surrounding something (=relating to something)the myths surrounding rural life
Examples from the Corpus
myth• Some have concluded that the current-account deficit is a myth.• It is a myth that battered women deserve or want to be beaten.• It's just a myth that divorced dads don't care about their kids.• Instead, he has ambitiously attempted an updating of the Biblical myths that have always informed the act of literary creation.• But myths, folk tales, legends and, yes, religious stories are different.• Opera combines myth, music, and drama.• The first myth about motherhood is that new mothers instantly fall in love with their babies.• a ballet based on a Greek myth• And among all such positive forces, living myth stands first.• However, neither myth nor truth stands alone in the objective sense.• The heroes of myth all had some point of weakness.• But her scenarios are without irony, studies of skin as flesh rather than repositories of myth and moral fable.• The myth tells of how the gods sent fire to the earth in flashes of lightning.• This myth, it is apparent, exists in two aspects.• Before proceeding further it would perhaps be as well to dispel one or two myths.myth of• the Greek myth of Medea• This exhibition explores the myths and realities of sharks.Origin myth (1800-1900) Greek mythos “story, speech, myth” 