human being
Americannoun
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any individual of the genus Homo, especially a member of the species Homo sapiens.
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a person, especially as distinguished from other animals or as representing the human species.
living conditions not fit for human beings; a very generous human being.
noun
Etymology
Origin of human being
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
“You would think that a human being with a shred of dignity would recoil from this thing,” Oswalt said.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
"They just chased us away like dogs... that is unfair because, actually, I'm a human being," the 32-year-old said.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
The transformations they are engineering will touch every human being; the decisions about how to engineer them will be made by very few.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
But the person who came up with that ad campaign or approved it, somewhere along the line, there was a human being behind that.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
And every adult who maybe held some sort of imaginary report card as to what kind of human being she was.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
