biography
Americannoun
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biographies
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
"I am so lucky that Crown Prince Haakon is the one who will carry this forward," King Harald wrote of his son in his biography The King Tells.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
As Dolly Parton celebrates her 80th birthday and a new “Dolly Parton Day,” a new biography by Martha Ackmann looks back at the star’s rise from poverty to philanthropy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mr. Warrick uses the passage as an epigraph for his engrossing biography.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
But Harry has admitted the revelations made in his 2023 controversial biography "Spare" and a devastating TV interview with Oprah Winfrey had rocked relations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Now, what were you saying about Rita Skeeter, Elphias? You know she’s written a biography of Dumbledore? I can’t wait to read it, I must remember to place an order at Flourish and Blotts!”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
As well as "Succession", the five-times married tycoon has been the subject of a spate of biographies, as well as a new Netflix documentary, "Dynasty: The Murdochs" which was released in March this year.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
His daughter, Katie Niederhoffer, said that until the last days of his life, she kept him stocked with books, everything from textbooks and biographies to books on trees and resilience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He published a number of autobiographical books, as well as biographies of John Wesley and William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Other measures considered AI-related skills and experience listed in employees’ LinkedIn profiles, and keywords used in corporate board descriptions and director biographies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
So the woman has not read any of the articles or biographies around.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
