superorganism

American  

[soo-per-awr-guhn-iz-uhm] / ˌsu pərˈɔr gənˌɪz əm /

noun

1. Zoology. a tightly organized group of individual organisms, such as ants, that functions as a single organism through collective behavior.

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Example Sentences

At the scale of the colony, ants function as a "superorganism," where different members take on roles essential for group survival.

From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2025

The ants are biological marvels, living in enormous colonies that function as a single superorganism.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2023

“The answers were all in the phalanx, the superorganism, the group unit.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 1, 2020

This term was coined by William Wheeler in 1911, though the idea dates back to Darwin, who saw the superorganism as a solution to the “problem” of eusociality.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 10, 2018

"It's a beautiful little life machine and like a superorganism," Chisholm says.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 9, 2017