biology
Americannoun
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the science of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, especially with reference to origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior.
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the living organisms of a region.
the biology of Pennsylvania.
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the biological phenomena characteristic of an organism or a group of organisms.
She is studying the biology of worms, especially in regard to their reproductive behavior.
noun
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the study of living organisms, including their structure, functioning, evolution, distribution, and interrelationships
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the structure, functioning, etc, of a particular organism or group of organisms
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the animal and plant life of a particular region
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of biology
From the German word Biologie, dating back to 1805–15. See bio-, -logy
Compare meaning
How does biology compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Biology is the study of life and living organisms, from one-celled creatures to the most complex living organism of all — the human being. Biology includes the study of genes and cells that give living things their special characteristics. You may know that the ology suffix means "the study of," and the addition of the Greek bios, meaning "life," gives us the meaning of biology. According to Nobel Laureate Walter Gilbert, "Biology will relate every human gene to the genes of other animals and bacteria, to this great chain of being." Sometimes science isn't as pretty as that sounds (as you know if you've cut open worms or frogs in biology class).
Vocabulary lists containing biology
Words to Live By: Bio
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Power Suffix: -ology
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bio
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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.
See Examples For:
But a Nasa-led reanalysis in 2025 found the signal too weak to confirm, and showed the gas can form without biology.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Maya is a graduate of Brown University and the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, where she studied biology and security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“We usually say, if it’s a beach where there’s surfing, they like the same surfing waves that people like,” said Karen Martin, a professor of biology at Pepperdine University and leading grunion expert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
But biology runs on its own clock, not the semiconductor cycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Although he died in 1562 at the early age of 39, he made his mark on human biology in two ways.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
The painter/sculptor/installation artist — perennially interested in biologies and ecologies — is now using augmented reality to imagine what our myths might look like if certain flora and certain fauna had co-evolved.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2019
Interestingly, such an approach would have been of little surprise to a group of largely forgotten 20th-century physicians who vehemently argued that breast cancers had distinctive biologies and therefore needed different treatments.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2018
The goal is to keep well people well, heading off problems that might be lurking in our individual biologies, and to identify targeted treatments when we get sick.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2015
Their biologies are cryptic and largely unexplored; most are scarce or hard to find, and seeing them in nature is a rare privilege.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 10, 2012
Canine biologies look like ours, and the treatments look like ours.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2012
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.
