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Definition of biography
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So You've Been Asked to Submit a Biography
In a library, the word biography refers both to a kind of book and to a section where books of that kind are found. Each biography tells the story of a real person's life. A biography may be about someone who lived long ago, recently, or even someone who is still living, though in the last case it must necessarily be incomplete. The term autobiography refers to a biography written by the person it's about. Autobiographies are of course also necessarily incomplete.
Sometimes biographies are significantly shorter than a book—something anyone who's been asked to submit a biography for, say, a conference or a community newsletter will be glad to know. Often the word in these contexts is shortened to bio , a term that can be both a synonym of biography and a term for what is actually a biographical sketch: a brief description of a person's life. These kinds of biographies—bios—vary, but many times they are only a few sentences long. Looking at bios that have been used in the same context can be a useful guide in determining what to put in your own.
Examples of biography in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Late Greek biographia , from Greek bi- + -graphia -graphy
1665, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near biography
biographize
Cite this Entry
“Biography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biography. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
Kids Definition
Kids definition of biography, more from merriam-webster on biography.
Nglish: Translation of biography for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of biography for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about biography
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a written account of another person's life: the biography of Byron by Marchand.
an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
such writings collectively.
the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
Origin of biography
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use biography in a sentence
Coltrane, who read theory as well as biographies of the creative (Van Gogh, for instance), might have been pleased to hear that.
Only half way into 2014, historical biographies are already having a banner year.
He expertly weaves multiple strands of information into a smooth narrative studded with mini-biographies.
Peter Guralnick has written biographies of Elvis and Sam Cooke.
Larry Pressler has one of the most intriguing biographies in American politics.
He is celebrated as the editor of Shakspeare, and published several biographies.
Weem's biographies are enjoyable reading rather than accurate accounts of the lives of these individuals.
Individuals today are still writing biographies about military leaders who participated in the War between the States.
Political thinking soon became a favorite topic for written expression and biographies and essays became numerous.
It is used in journals, memoirs, biographies, and many elementary histories.
British Dictionary definitions for biography
/ ( baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ ) /
an account of a person's life by another
such accounts collectively
Derived forms of biography
- biographer , noun
- biographical ( ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪk ə l ) or archaic biographic , adjective
- biographically , adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for biography
The story of someone's life. The Life of Samuel Johnson , by James Boswell , and Abraham Lincoln , by Carl Sandburg , are two noted biographies. The story of the writer's own life is an autobiography .
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Definition of biography noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Take your English to the next level
The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app
Further Resources on Biography
Newsweek compiled their picks for the 75 Best Biographies of All Time .
The Open Education Database has a list of 75 Biographies to Read Before You Die .
Goodreads put together a list of readers’ best biography selections .
If you’re looking to write biographies, Infoplease has instructions for writing shorter pieces, while The Writer has practical advice for writing manuscript-length bios.
Ranker collected a comprehensive list of famous biographers .
Related Terms
- Autobiography
- Short Story
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Bi•og•ra•phy.
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biography noun
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What does the noun biography mean?
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun biography . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the noun biography ?
How is the noun biography pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun biography come from.
Earliest known use
The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s.
OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford.
biography is a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: Latin biographia .
Nearby entries
- biognosy, n. 1880
- biograph, n. 1825–
- biograph, v. 1776–
- biographee, n. 1812–
- biographer, n. 1644–
- biographic, adj. 1752–
- biographical, adj. 1668–
- biographically, adv. ?1719–
- biographist, n. a1661–
- biographize, v. 1793–
- biography, n. 1661–
- biography, v. 1794–
- biographying, n. 1858–
- biohacker, n. 1988–
- biohacking, n. 1992–
- biohazard, n. 1965–
- biohazardous, adj. 1973–
- bioherm, n. 1928–
- biohermal, adj. 1937–
- bioidentical, adj. 1995–
- bioimaging, n. 1983–
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Meaning & use
Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for biography, n..
biography, n. was revised in November 2010.
biography, n. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into biography, n. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1887)
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OED Second Edition (1989)
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Definition of 'biography'
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biography in American English
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Meaning of "biography" in the English dictionary
Pronunciation of biography, grammatical category of biography, what does biography mean in english.
Definition of biography in the English dictionary
The definition of biography in the dictionary is an account of a person's life by another. Other definition of biography is such accounts collectively.
WORDS THAT RHYME WITH BIOGRAPHY
Words that begin like biography, words that end like biography, synonyms and antonyms of biography in the english dictionary of synonyms, synonyms of «biography», words relating to «biography», translation of «biography» into 25 languages.
TRANSLATION OF BIOGRAPHY
Translator english - chinese, translator english - spanish, translator english - hindi, translator english - arabic, translator english - russian, translator english - portuguese, translator english - bengali, translator english - french, translator english - malay, translator english - german, translator english - japanese, translator english - korean, translator english - javanese, translator english - vietnamese, translator english - tamil, translator english - marathi, translator english - turkish, translator english - italian, translator english - polish, translator english - ukrainian, translator english - romanian, translator english - greek, translator english - afrikaans, translator english - swedish, translator english - norwegian, trends of use of biography, tendencies of use of the term «biography».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BIOGRAPHY» OVER TIME
Examples of use in the english literature, quotes and news about biography, 10 quotes with «biography», 10 english books relating to «biography», 10 news items which include the term «biography».
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(Definition of biography from the Webster's Essential Mini Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
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BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
biography: [noun] a usually written history of a person's life.
Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
Biography. A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae ( résumé ), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various ...
biography: 1 n an account of the series of events making up a person's life Synonyms: life , life history , life story Examples: Parallel Lives a collection of biographies of famous pairs of Greeks and Romans written by Plutarch; used by Shakespeare in writing some of his plays Types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... autobiography a biography ...
Definition of biography noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
2 meanings: 1. an account of a person's life by another 2. such accounts collectively.... Click for more definitions.
Biography definition, a written account of another person's life: the biography of Byron by Marchand. See more.
BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.
biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual.One of the oldest forms of literary expression, it seeks to re-create in words the life of a human being—as understood from the historical or personal perspective of the author—by drawing upon all available evidence, including that retained in memory as well as written, oral ...
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Related topics: Newspapers, printing, publishing, History, Literature biography bi‧og‧ra‧phy / baɪˈɒɡrəfi $ -ˈɑːɡ-/ noun (plural biographies) 1 [countable] TCN SH a book that tells what has happened in someone's life, written by someone else biography of Boswell's biography of ...
BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
Definition of biography noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.
Definition of Biography. A biography is the non- fiction, written history or account of a person's life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such ...
A biography (BYE-og-ruh-fee) is a written account of one person's life authored by another person. A biography includes all pertinent details from the subject's life, typically arranged in a chronological order. The word biography stems from the Latin biographia, which succinctly explains the word's definition: bios = "life" + graphia ...
Define biographies. biographies synonyms, biographies pronunciation, biographies translation, English dictionary definition of biographies. n. pl. bi·og·ra·phies 1. An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another: a film biography of Adlai Stevenson; an oral biography.
A biography is a non-fiction text about someone's life. Biographies are true pieces of text, based on fact, so biographers (the people who write biographies) have to do a lot of research. They use ...
biography - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free. ... 'biography' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):-graphy - Bancroft Prize - Christine de Pisan - D.N.B. - Froude - Johnson - Life of Samuel Johnson, ...
Where does the noun biography come from? The earliest known use of the noun biography is in the mid 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1661, in the writing of John Fell, bishop of Oxford. biography is a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin biographia.
biography. (baɪɒgrəfi ) Word forms: biographies plural. 1. countable noun. A biography of someone is an account of their life, written by someone else. ...recent biographies of Stalin. 2. uncountable noun. Biography is the branch of literature which deals with accounts of people's lives. ...a volume of biography and criticism.
WHAT DOES BIOGRAPHY MEAN IN ENGLISH? Biography. A biography or simply bio is a detailed description or account of a person's life. It entails more than basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death—a biography also portrays a subject's experience of these events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae, a biography presents a ...
BIOGRAPHY definition: 1. the story of a person's life written by another person 2. about someone's life: . Learn more.
biographies. definition 1: an account, usu. written, of the facts and circumstances of one person's life. similar words: life, memoir. definition 2: such written accounts collectively. definition 3: the field of biographical writing.