biophysics

American  

[bahy-oh-fiz-iks] / ˌbaɪ oʊˈfɪz ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of biology that applies the methods of physics to the study of biological structures and processes.

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biophysics British  

/ ˌbaɪəʊˈfɪzɪsɪst, ˌbaɪəʊˈfɪzɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the physics of biological processes and the application of methods used in physics to biology

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biophysics Scientific  

/ bī′ō-fĭz′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of biological processes in terms of the laws of physics. Phenomena such as echolocation in bats and the stresses and strains in skeletal and muscular structures are analyzed and explained in biophysics.

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biophysics Cultural  

1. The study of living things using the techniques of physics.

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Other Word Forms

• biophysical adjective
• biophysically adverb
• biophysicist noun

Etymology

Origin of biophysics

First recorded in 1890–95; bio- + physics

Example Sentences

After getting a doctorate in biophysics, Dario Amodei was working as an AI researcher at Google.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The study also underscores the expanding influence of biophysics in modern biology.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

"Sometimes people actually perform better in space, and they're more even more focused, in a way," said Dr. Chris Mason, a professor of physiology and biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2025

Prof Michele Vendruscolo, professor of biophysics, at the University of Cambridge, said the test could be performed with equipment already in major hospitals and help recruit people at risk of the disease for clinical trials.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2024

I phoned Landsdoff at the New Institute for Advanced Study, about the possibility of utilizing the pair-production nuclear photoeffect for exploratory work in biophysics.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes