biography

noun bi·og·ra·phy \ bī-ˈä-grə-fē also bē- \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Examples: biography in a Sentence

Editor's Note: So You've Been Asked to Submit a biography

Definition of biography

plural biographies

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

See biography defined for English-language learners

See biography defined for kids

Examples of biography in a Sentence

a new biography of Abraham Lincoln
an unauthorized biography of the actor gave him some serious headaches

Recent Examples of biography from the Web

Part of the value of Eisner’s biography is to situate a lastingly familiar and accessible body of work in its author’s exceptional experience of an irrecoverable recent past.

— benjamin kunkel, The New Republic, "The partisan world of Pablo Neruda," 2 July 2018
The first new commander is Lee Martin, a 27-year department veteran who became a sergeant in 2001, according to his biography.

— rafael guerrero, Naperville Sun, "Naperville police swear in new commanders, sergeants and officers to fill ranks after flood of retirements," 22 June 2018
After delving into her own biography, it’s time for some role-playing.

— benjamin oreskes, www.latimes.com, "Many people work hard to avoid the homeless. These volunteers embrace them," 7 June 2018
According to royals expert and author of the biography Harry: Life, Loss, and LoveKatie Nicholl, there were several reasons for the proximity of dates.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "The Royal Wedding Marks Kate Middleton's First Official Public Appearance After the Birth of Prince Louis," 19 May 2018
These are caricatures, simple outlines that lack the unruly and fascinating complexity of any good biography.

— mary louise schumacher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Leaders rethinking choices and presentations at Milwaukee art museums in age of #MeToo," 18 May 2018
The first three scenes set up the stakes, and also the atmospherics—that combination of biography and surreal poetics that constitutes the Williams cosmos.

— tony adler, Chicago Reader, "Raven Theatre can’t deliver on Suddenly Last Summer’s mythic, monstrous potential," 16 May 2018
And yet there are certain aspects of the 34-year-old’s biography that do not point squarely in the direction of a successful flamenco career.

— helena alonso paisley, miamiherald, "Singer-pianist María Toledo brings unique talents to FlamenGO series | Miami Herald," 15 May 2018
So being able to chronicle it at this time in a biography has just been a wonderful opportunity.

— hilary weaver, Vanities, "Inside Prince Harry’s Transformation From Party Prince to Philanthropic Fiancé," 23 Mar. 2018

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

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.