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Definition of biography
Did you know.
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 29 Aug. 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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Professional Ghost
What tense should I use in my book?
There are plenty of things to think about when penning a biography. Remembering all those key moments is crucial. The names of important people in your life is another. And dates. And who said what and when.
The one thing you probably won’t consider is what tense to write it in. A biography deals with events of the past, right? Ergo, you write it in the past tense.
While this is perfectly fine and indeed the norm for the majority of biographies, it doesn’t necessarily follow. Believe it or not, you do have a choice. Writing a book in the present tense is a riskier choice stylistically, particularly when penning a life story, but it can be very effective when trying to convey a sense of excitement and immediacy.
Before I go through the options in more detail, let me just say, tense choice doesn’t always ‘automatically’ happen. I’ve reviewed many manuscripts from new authors who flip flop between tenses at an alarming rate and it can be very off-putting and definitely distracts from the main narrative. My tip for any writer would be to think about tenses before they type their first word and to be consistent. If you get to the end of your book and discover the tenses are all over the place, it is extremely time-consuming to correct.
The only time it is OK to switch tense is when using a mix of narrative and direct quotations.
After he’d seen the mess I’d made, my teacher had launched into the then, well-worn, lecture about me being a waste of space who would never, ever amount to anything.
‘You have no prospects, son,’ he roared. ‘Get out of my class.’
If you are new to book-writing, sticking to the past tense in your main narrative is the easier option. It’s the way we’ve been told stories since our school days and it was the same for many generations before us. You know the sort of thing. ‘Once upon a time, somewhere before today, there was this fantastic character, who had a great adventure, survived to tell the tale and is now eager to tell you all about it.’ It’s not just easy to write, it is easy to read too. We barely notice the style because we are so accustomed to it. If the tense is ‘invisible’ to a reader, they can enjoy the bits that count, like the story and the characters you describe.
Another plus for the past tense, is it is flexible. It allows you to play with the timeline and skip forward when you need to. So, for example;
‘ After a quick breakfast I’d ran for the bus. The traffic had been achingly slow that morning, but I made it to the big showdown with a minute to spare.’
The breakfast and the traffic are not the interesting bits of the story. If you told it in ‘real time’ (as you are pretty much committed to in the present tense, if you want it to sound convincing) it is inevitable you’d be committed to boring the reader with a lot of unnecessary details. Instead, by telling it in this way you’ve got your character (you) out of the house and over to the important event in a couple of sentences by telling the story. You can then slow down the action when you reach the showdown and use dialogue (in present tense if appropriate) to explain everything that happened next. When your story looks back in time, you can fast forward the dull bits and take your time over the interesting stuff.
Are there any arguments in favour of using the present tense? Well, yes. In fact, there have been a number of extraordinarily successful books written in this way, so I wouldn’t completely write it off (ahem). The Hunger Games, is a good example, as is The Bleak House, Wolf Hall and All quiet on the Western Front. In each case the device is used to convey a specific intense emotion. In the latter book, for example, Erich Maria Remarque uses the present tense to raise the tension and give a more realistic, penetrating vision of the horrors of war.
It has also been said that writing in the present tense gives a book more of a cinematic feel. A movie is, after all, a series of scenes, played out in real time. Back stories can be told in flashback, but it’s not advisable to overdo it. It’s not easy to fast forward action when you are writing scene by scene.
Present tense is still mostly seen as the ‘more experimental’ side of book writing. It takes a great deal of attention to detail and creativity to get it right. Plus, in the same way that reading the past tense is normal for everyone, reading books in the present tense can be annoying and jarring for many readers. In fact, some people have such strong feelings about it, they abandon books that use the present tense.
If this is your first attempt at writing a book, my advice would be to play it safe and stick to the past tense. Most importantly, make up your mind to do it and stick to it. It’ll feel entirely natural after a while, leaving you to get on with remembering all the most important moments of your life to make your memoir a gripping read.
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biography verb
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What does the verb biography mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb biography . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the verb biography ?
| 1790 | 0.0057 |
| 1800 | 0.0066 |
| 1810 | 0.0073 |
| 1820 | 0.0088 |
| 1830 | 0.011 |
| 1840 | 0.012 |
| 1850 | 0.014 |
| 1860 | 0.016 |
| 1870 | 0.017 |
| 1880 | 0.019 |
| 1890 | 0.02 |
| 1900 | 0.021 |
| 1910 | 0.023 |
| 1920 | 0.024 |
| 1930 | 0.025 |
| 1940 | 0.026 |
| 1950 | 0.027 |
| 1960 | 0.028 |
| 1970 | 0.028 |
| 1980 | 0.029 |
| 1990 | 0.029 |
| 2000 | 0.029 |
| 2010 | 0.03 |
How is the verb biography pronounced?
British english, u.s. english, where does the verb biography come from.
Earliest known use
The earliest known use of the verb biography is in the late 1700s.
OED's earliest evidence for biography is from 1794, in the writing of S. Whyte.
It is also recorded as a noun from the mid 1600s.
biography is formed within English, by conversion.
Etymons: biography n.
Nearby entries
- 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–
- bioindicator, n. 1955–
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Meaning & use
Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for biography, v..
biography, v. was revised in November 2010.
biography, v. was last modified in December 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, v. in December 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
A Supplement to the New English Dictionary (1933)
- Find out more
OED Second Edition (1989)
- View biography, v. in OED Second Edition
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Citation details
Factsheet for biography, v., browse entry.
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- 1.1 Etymology
- 1.2 Pronunciation
- 1.3.1 Derived terms
- 1.3.2 Related terms
- 1.3.3 Translations
- 1.5 Anagrams
From New Latin biographia , formed from Ancient Greek βίος ( bíos , “ life ” ) + γράφω ( gráphō , “ write ” ) .
Pronunciation
- ( Received Pronunciation ) IPA ( key ) : /baɪˈɒɡɹəfi/
- ( General American ) IPA ( key ) : /baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/
| Audio ( ): | ( ) |
- Rhymes: -ɒɡɹəfi
biography ( countable and uncountable , plural biographies )
- A person's life story , especially one published. There are many biographies of Benjamin Franklin.
- The art of writing this kind of story.
Derived terms
- antibiography
- autobiography
- biographette
- biographize
- biomythography
- blogography
- heterobiography
- minibiography
- osteobiography
- photobiography
- psychobiography
Related terms
- biographical
- biographism
- hagiography
- pathography
Translations
| (sīra), (tarjamatu l-ḥayāti) (kensagrutʻyun) , (bijahráfija) (biográfija), (životopís) ／ (zhuànjì) (bios) , (biograpia) , (old spelling) (viografía) (korót khayím), (sipúr khayím), (biyográfya) (jīvnī), (jīvnakthā), (zindgīnāmā) , ( , denki) (namtr) (jeon'gi) (ömürbayan) (sī wa pa wat) , (biografija), (životopis) , , (namtar), (čadig) (namtar), (čadig) (jīvanī) (tezkere) (zendegi-nâme) (jīvnī) (biográfija), (rare) (žizneopisánije) , , , , (chii-wá-bprà-wàt) , (biohráfija), (žyttjépys) (terjimehal) , (byografye) |
biography ( third-person singular simple present biographies , present participle biographying , simple past and past participle biographied )
- ( transitive ) To write a biography of.
- English terms borrowed from New Latin
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Definition of biography noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- Boswell’s biography of Johnson
- a biography by Antonia Fraser
- The book gives potted biographies of all the major painters.
- blockbuster
- unauthorized
- biography by
- biography of
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Meaning of biography in English
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- This biography offers a few glimpses of his life before he became famous .
- Her biography revealed that she was not as rich as everyone thought .
- The biography was a bit of a rush job .
- The biography is an attempt to uncover the inner man.
- The biography is woven from the many accounts which exist of things she did.
- multi-volume
- young adult
biography | Intermediate English
- biographical
Examples of biography
Translations of biography.
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a day that you spend somewhere that is not your home or usual place of work
It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)
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Biography Past Tense
biographied past tense of biography is biographied.
Biography verb forms
| Infinitive | Present Participle | Past Tense | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| biography | biographying | biographied | biographied |
Conjugation of Biography
| Simple / Indefinite Present Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It biographies . |
| I biography. |
| You/We/They biography. |
| Present Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It is biographying. |
| I am biographying. |
| You/We/They are biographying. |
| Present Perfect Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It has biographied. |
| I have biographied. |
| You/We/They have biographied. |
| Present Perfect Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It has been biographying. |
| I have been biographying. |
| You/We/They have been biographying. |
| Simple Past Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It biographied. |
| I biographied. |
| You/We/They biographied. |
| Past Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It was biographying. |
| I was biographying. |
| You/We/They were biographying. |
| Past Perfect Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It had biographied. |
| I had biographied. |
| You/We/They had biographied. |
| Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It had been biographying. |
| I had been biographying. |
| You/We/They had been biographying. |
| Simple Future Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It will/shall biography. |
| I will/shall biography. |
| You/We/They will/shall biography. |
| Future Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It will/shall be biographying. |
| I will/shall be biographying. |
| You/We/They will/shall be biographying. |
| Future Perfect Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It will/shall have biographied. |
| I will/shall have biographied. |
| You/We/They will/shall have biographied. |
| Future Perfect Continuous Tense |
|---|
| He/She/It will/shall have been biographying. |
| I will/shall have been biographying. |
| You/We/They will/shall have been biographying. |
- What is the past tense of birr in English?
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PastTenses is a database of English verbs. One can check verbs forms in different tenses. Use our search box to check present tense, present participle tense, past tense and past participle tense of desired verb.
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[ bahy- og -r uh -fee , bee- ]
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.
/ baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ; ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl /
- an account of a person's life by another
- such accounts collectively
- 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 .
Derived Forms
- biˈographer , noun
- biographical , adjective
- ˌbioˈgraphically , adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of biography 1
Example Sentences
Barrett didn’t say anything on Tuesday to contradict our understanding of her ideological leanings based on her past rulings, past statements and biography.
Republicans, meanwhile, focused mostly on her biography — including her role as a working mother of seven and her Catholic faith — and her credentials, while offering few specifics about her record as a law professor and judge.
She delivered an inspiring biography at one point, reflecting on the sacrifice her mother made to emigrate to the United States.
As Walter Isaacson pointed out in his biography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin proposed the postal system as a vital network to bond together the 13 disparate colonies.
Serving that end, the book is not an in-depth biography as much as a summary of Galileo’s life and science, plus a thorough recounting of the events leading up to his famous trial.
The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.
For those unfamiliar with Michals, an annotated biography and useful essays are included.
Did you envision your Pryor biography as extending your previous investigation—aesthetically and historically?
But Stephen Kotkin's new biography reveals a learned despot who acted cunningly to take advantage of the times.
Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography.
He also published two volumes of American Biography, a work which his death abridged.
Mme. de Chaulieu gave her husband the three children designated in the duc's biography.
The biography of great men always has been, and always will be read with interest and profit.
I like biography far better than fiction myself: fiction is too free.
The Bookman: "A more entertaining narrative whether in biography or fiction has not appeared in recent years."
Related Words
- autobiography
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
1. : a usually written history of a person's life. a new biography of Abraham Lincoln. 2. : biographical writings as a whole. the genre of biography. 3. : an account of the life of something (such as an animal, a coin, or a building) the biography of the commonwealth. Did you know? So You've Been Asked to Submit a Biography.
There are plenty of things to think about when penning a biography. Remembering all those key moments is crucial. The names of important people in your life is another. And dates. And who said what and when. The one thing you probably won’t consider is what tense to write it in.
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb biography. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
English Conjugation in all tenses | Conjugate English verbs. Speak any language with confidence. Take our quick quiz to start your journey to fluency today! Get started. Conjugate. Biography (to ) conjugation. English. 20 examples. This verb can also mean the following: write. I. you. it/she/he. we. you all. they. Present Simple. biography.
biography ( countable and uncountable, plural biographies) A person's life story, especially one published. There are many biographies of Benjamin Franklin. The art of writing this kind of story.
biography. noun. /baɪˈɒɡrəfi/. /baɪˈɑːɡrəfi/. [countable, uncountable] (plural biographies) the story of a person’s life written by somebody else; this type of writing. Boswell’s biography of Johnson. a biography by Antonia Fraser.
the life story of a person written by someone else: He wrote a biography of Winston Churchill. Compare. autobiography. life history. life story. Fewer examples. This biography offers a few glimpses of his life before he became famous. Her biography revealed that she was not as rich as everyone thought.
This is a reference page for biography verb forms in present, past and participle tenses. Find conjugation of biography. Check past tense of biography here.
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.
Biography - verb forms. This biography is not only useful for working on writing formats but also for practising verb tenses :)