bio
noun
bio
1 American
[bahy-oh]
/ ˈbaɪ oʊ /
adjective
-
biological.
a bio control service using praying mantises to reduce the population of garden pests.
bio-
2
American
bio-
1
British
combining form
-
indicating or involving life or living organisms
biogenesis
biolysis
-
indicating a human life or career
biography
biopic
bio
2
British
/ ˈbaɪəʊ /
noun
Usage
What does bio- mean? The combining form bio- is used like a prefix meaning “life.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology. The form bio- comes from Greek bíos, meaning “life.” The Latin cognate of bíos is vīta, “life,” which is the source of words such as vital. Find out more at our entry for vital. What are variants of bio-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, bio- becomes bi-, as in biome. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for bi-.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bio1
1945–50; by shortening; as adj., independent use of bio-, taken as a free form
Origin of bio-2
Combining form of Greek bíos life; akin to Latin vīvus living, Sanskrit jīvas. See quick
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.
Blau, Bhutani, and several co-authors are inventors on Stanford University patent applications involving 15-PGDH inhibition for cartilage repair and tissue rejuvenation that have been licensed to Epirium Bio.
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy biotechnology company Firefly Bio for $1 billion in cash in a deal that bolsters the drugmaker’s oncology pipeline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Johnson & Johnson JNJ 2.02%increase; green up pointing triangle has agreed to buy biotechnology company Firefly Bio for $1 billion in cash in a deal that bolsters the drugmaker’s oncology pipeline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Over at GlaxoSmithKline, a partnership with Korea’s ABL Bio will use the receptor for the insulinlike growth factor as a portal for neurology drugs.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Thoughts like these are not written down or uploaded into my Bio Gel.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
