biography
noun
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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 biography in a Sentence
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 27 June 2025
Culp expertly narrates the exposition (and in a forty-four-hour biography there’s plenty) and modulates his voice and pitch for different speakers.
—Audiofile Magazine
june 27, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
That’s how Zachary Hitchcock describes his mom, Joan Lundberg Hitchcock, to author J. Randy Taraborrelli in his new biography of the 35th president: JFK: Public, Private, Secret.
—Liz McNeil, People.com, 26 June 2025
In the first English biography of Xi Zhongxun, The Party's Interests Come First, Professor Joseph Torigian uncovers the story of his life and of the modern Communist Party—and sheds light on the formative influences on Xi Jinping.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for biography
Cite this Entry
“Biography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biography. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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biography
noun
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