biography

[ bahy-og-ruh-fee, bee- ]

/ baɪˈɒg rə fi, bi- /

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See synonyms for biography on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural bi·og·ra·phies.

a written account of another person's life: the biography of Byron by Marchand.

an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.

such writings collectively.

the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of biography

From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy

Words nearby biography

biogeography, biographee, biographer, biographical, biographize, biography, biohack, biohacking, biohazard, bioherm, bioindustry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use biography in a sentence

Barrett didn’t say anything on Tuesday to contradict our understanding of her ideological leanings based on her past rulings, past statements and biography.
Why The Amy Coney Barrett Hearings Are Verging On The Absurd|Perry Bacon Jr. (perry.bacon@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Republicans, meanwhile, focused mostly on her biography — including her role as a working mother of seven and her Catholic faith — and her credentials, while offering few specifics about her record as a law professor and judge.
The Battle Lines Are Set After The First Day Of The Amy Coney Barrett Hearings|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux (Amelia.Thomson-DeVeaux@abc.com)|October 12, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
She delivered an inspiring biography at one point, reflecting on the sacrifice her mother made to emigrate to the United States.
The one debate question we wished the VP candidates were pressed on|Aric Jenkins|October 8, 2020|Fortune
As Walter Isaacson pointed out in his biography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin proposed the postal system as a vital network to bond together the 13 disparate colonies.
The President is going postal|jakemeth|August 20, 2020|Fortune

Serving that end, the book is not an in-depth biography as much as a summary of Galileo’s life and science, plus a thorough recounting of the events leading up to his famous trial.
A new Galileo biography draws parallels to today’s science denialism|Tom Siegfried|August 11, 2020|Science News
The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For those unfamiliar with Michals, an annotated biography and useful essays are included.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Did you envision your Pryor biography as extending your previous investigation—aesthetically and historically?
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America|David Yaffe, Scott Saul|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Stephen Kotkin's new biography reveals a learned despot who acted cunningly to take advantage of the times.
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also published two volumes of American Biography, a work which his death abridged.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Mme. de Chaulieu gave her husband the three children designated in the duc's biography.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The biography of great men always has been, and always will be read with interest and profit.
Portrait and Biography of Parson Brownlow, The Tennessee Patriot|William Gannaway Brownlow
I like biography far better than fiction myself: fiction is too free.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
The Bookman: "A more entertaining narrative whether in biography or fiction has not appeared in recent years."
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various

British Dictionary definitions for biography

biography

/ (baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ) /

noun plural -phies

an account of a person's life by another

such accounts collectively

Derived forms of biography

biographer, nounbiographical (ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl) or archaic biographic, adjectivebiographically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for biography

biography

The story of someone's life. The Life of Samuel Johnson, by James Boswell, and Abraham Lincoln, by Carl Sandburg, are two noted biographies. The story of the writer's own life is an autobiography.

biography

Origin of biography

Words nearby biography

Words related to biography

How to use biography in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for biography

Derived forms of biography

Cultural definitions for biography