biography
Americannoun
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a written account of another person's life.
the biography of Byron by Marchand.
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an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
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such writings collectively.
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the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
noun
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an account of a person's life by another
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such accounts collectively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of biography
From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy
Explanation
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."
Vocabulary lists containing biography
Words to Live By: Bio
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Write On!: Graph and Gram
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was also a friend of Caitlyn Jenner and helped write the former athlete’s motivational book “Finding the Champion Within,” according to his biography.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
He left a biography of Hölderlin on his desk with this sentence underlined: “Sometimes this genius goes dark and sinks down into the bitter well of his heart.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
In a 2015 biography, author Ashlee Vance described Musk as "a confrontational know-it-all" with an "abundant ego".
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The elder Gonzalez is a native of Venezuela who works at the Florida-based law firm Shahady & Wurtenberger, where he specializes in international cases, according to his biography on the law firm’s website.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
He died rich and famous, and was the subject, a few years after his death, of the first ever book-length biography of a musician.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
