organic compounds

Cultural  

1. The compounds containing carbon that are typically found in living systems.

---

Discover More

Generally, anything made from living systems, such as cloth, fuels, or wood, is said to be organic. Organic foods are grown with no fertilizer except the organic compounds found naturally in plants and animals.

Example Sentences

The group used a technology known as soil vapor sampling, which they say could detect volatile organic compounds associated with decomposing human remains.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

A sheriff’s detective served Susan Flores with the search warrant shortly after 7 a.m., and also have access to a neighboring home where the scientists in 2023 detected the volatile organic compounds.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The e-noses can sniff out the unique signatures of volatile organic compounds not only in the breath, but in excretions like sweat or urine, and have AI quickly identify them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Volatile organic compounds like benzene, stemming from burnt PVC pipes, have entered drinking water.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Some organic compounds are simply combinations of carbon and hydrogen.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson