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

Fall foliage appears when leaves change from green to yellow, orange, and red, then falls from the trees, said Brandon Fuller, a doctoral candidate and lecturer in the biology department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025

Cancer biology research in the 1960s led to the discovery of cisplatin, a chemotherapy prescribed to 10% to 20% of cancer patients. —Zeynep Hasgül, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025

Experts at Brown Veterinary Hospital say that cats' love for warmth stems from both evolution and biology. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

And then there was an invention of an instrument, the microscope for biology and the telescope for physics and the analytical balance for chemistry, that allowed more precise measurement. —Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025

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

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology
• ethnology

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