biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy bī-ˈä-lə-jē 

1

: a branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes

advances in the field of biology

a biology textbook

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

the biology of the rainforest

b

: the life processes especially of an organism or group

the biology of cancer cells

broadly : ecology

biologist

bī-ˈä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of biology in a Sentence

advances in the field of biology

the biology of the rain forest

the biology of tumor cells

Recent Examples on the Web

If LRMs can supercharge mathematics research the way AlphaFold did for computational biology, this line of thinking goes, why not embrace them, idiosyncrasies and all, and just verify the results? — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026

Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, said the single-bite attack was consistent with his theory that a great white shark mistook Fox for a seal or sea lion. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Beijing has made biotechnology a strategic priority and is investing aggressively in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, advanced biomanufacturing, gene therapies, and precision medicine. — David Shulkin, STAT, 29 July 2026

Lightly mulch around the base afterward to keep the soil biology cool, moist, and protected. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

German Biologie, from bi- + -logie -logy

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing biology

• cell biology
• developmental biology
• evolutionary biology
• evolutionary developmental biology
• molecular biology

Rhymes for biology

• ology
• aetiology
• anthropology
• archaeology
• archeology
• audiology
• cardiology
• climatology
• cohomology
• cosmetology
• criminology
• demonology

Kids Definition

biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy bī-ˈäl-ə-jē 

1

: a branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and life processes

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

b

: the life processes of an organism or group

biologist

-jəst 

noun

Etymology

from German Biologie "biology," derived from Greek bi-, bio- "life" and -logia "study, science"

Medical Definition

biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy -jē 

plural biologies

1

: a branch of science that deals with living organisms and vital processes

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

b

: the laws and phenomena relating to an organism or group

3

: a treatise on biology