biography
Americannoun
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a written account of another person's life.
the biography of Byron by Marchand.
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an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
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such writings collectively.
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the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
noun
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an account of a person's life by another
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such accounts collectively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of biography
From the Greek word biographía, dating back to 1675–85. See bio-, -graphy
Explanation
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."
Vocabulary lists containing biography
Words to Live By: Bio
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Write On!: Graph and Gram
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
See Examples For:
A Saar biography penned by Zoé Whitley, who co-curated “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power,” is expected in 2027.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mr. Jones has given it the biography it deserves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Among his many books was John Paul II: Man of History, a revelatory biography of the former Pope.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I got slopped: Someone used AI to write my biography.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
When I got to my room, I found Takumi sitting on the couch, reading my biography of Tolstoy “Uh, hi,” I said.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
He published a number of autobiographical books, as well as biographies of John Wesley and William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Other measures considered AI-related skills and experience listed in employees’ LinkedIn profiles, and keywords used in corporate board descriptions and director biographies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Anna Arno, who has written biographies of the German painter Paula Modersohn-Becker and the Polish activist Konstanty Jeleński, meets that challenge in “Paul Celan: A Life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Like a diplomatic training camp, the King will be currently prepping for the trip, going through embassy briefs, reading histories and biographies, getting all the details of his engagements.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
There were racks loaded with mysteries, Newbery winners, historical fiction, biographies, and short stories.
From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements
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.
