Definition of BIO-

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 bio in a Sentence

Noun

you can read a bio of the author on her home page

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Wornick, who anchored WCVB’s midday newscast from 1989 until retiring in 2014, was also a member of Team 5 investigates and served as NewsCenter 5’s consumer reporter, according to her bio in the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. — Eileen Mceleney Woods, BostonGlobe.com, "Former WCVB anchor Susan Wornick lists her Cape home for $2.9 million," 27 Aug. 2019 Clayton also served as vice president of external relations for the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee, according to her bio on the commission website. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Whitmer wants civil rights director ousted: These 8 people could decide his fate," 15 Aug. 2019 According to his bio, Chris was a part of The Bachelorette Season 8 (Emily Maynard), The Bachelorette Season 10 (Andi Dorfman), Bachelor Pad Season 3, and Bachelor in Paradise Seasons 1 and 2. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Who Is 'Bachelor in Paradise' Star Chris Bukowski, Newly Out of Retirement?," 6 Aug. 2019 According to his bio on the Disney Channel, Boyce was born and raised in Los Angeles. — Amy Forliti, azcentral, "Actor and Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce dies in his sleep at age 20," 7 July 2019 Cross-referencing the information in his bio with several sites, Nick turns out to be Nick Dimitrov, who according to his LinkedIn profile led a business development team for the games portion of the Amazon App store. — Michelle Cheng, Quartz at Work, "An Airbnb host is offering mock Amazon job interviews for $5,300," 30 Aug. 2019 At Portland State, Avalos advises the student government and Greek organizations, according to a university bio. — oregonlive.com, "Candace Avalos, running as reform candidate, enters Portland Council race," 1 Aug. 2019 The money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will expand the state’s bio-monitoring program over the next five years. — Christopher Magan, Twin Cities, "Federal grant will expand monitoring of MN children’s exposure to chemicals," 30 July 2019 Andrew Steel stars in Theo Davies' inspirational bio-drama about Frank Shankwitz, the Arizona highway patrolman who created the Make-A-Wish Foundation. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Wish Man': Film Review," 23 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.