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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 bio in a Sentence
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
The conference bio listing a CTO as a keynote on a niche topic is indexed.
—Dean Trevelino, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Min Zin took part in the democracy movement in Burma, Myanmar's former name, in the late 80s and fled the country in 1989 to avoid arrest, according to a bio on his blog.
—Karson Yiu, ABC News, 12 June 2026
His social media bio is wordless; there is just a ninja emoji.
—New York Times, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bio
Cite this Entry
“Bio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bio. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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