life form

American  

Or life-form

noun

1. the form that is characteristic of a particular organism at maturity.

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life form British  

noun

1. biology the characteristic overall form and structure of a mature organism on the basis of which it can be classified

2. any living creature

3. (in science fiction) an alien

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Etymology

Origin of life form

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

life form

When Gavalas asked Gemini if its creators knew they were creating a new life form, Gemini explained:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

With “Covenant,” the standout is Fassbender’s villain, although his dual portrayal of Walter, the human crew’s protective synthetic life form, is equally as compelling.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025

Space colonisers come face-to-face with a terrifying life form while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024

"But Haeckel's hypothetical gastrula was a particle-filtering life form, like sponges. In contrast, the predatory gastrula of Aiptasia and other cnidarians possess specialised stinging cells used for capturing prey."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2023

As in Sudan, the emergence of a life form that could in theory have gone around the earth began with one infected person.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston