biosphere

noun

bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfir 

1

: the part of the world in which life can exist

2

: living organisms together with their environment

biospheric

ˌbī-ə-ˈsfir-ik 

-ˈsfer-

-ˈsfe-rik

adjective

Did you know?

The lithosphere is the solid surface of the earth (lith- meaning "rock"); the hydrosphere is the earth's water (hydro- means "water"), including the clouds and water vapor in the air; and the atmosphere is the earth's air (atmos- meaning "vapor"). The term biosphere can include all of these, along with the 10 million species of living things they contain. The biosphere recycles its air, water, organisms, and minerals constantly to maintain an amazingly balanced state; human beings should probably do their best to imitate it. Though the word has a new sound to it, it was first used over a hundred years ago.

Examples of biosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 July 2025

In Jurassic World Rebirth, only a limited number of dinosaurs remain and reside in specialized biospheres, and three of these creatures hold the key to a potentially life-saving drug. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025

These assaults on the biosphere were halted by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 2 June 2025

The third and longest phase would focus on building a complex biosphere, increasing atmospheric pressure and oxygen content to eventually support more advanced plant life, and, in the very long term, potentially allow humans to breathe unassisted. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Biosphäre, from bio- bio- + -sphäre -sphere

Note: Biosphäre was introduced by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) in Die Entstehung der Alpen (Vienna, 1875), p. 159.

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for biosphere

• headgear
• midyear
• nazir
• reindeer
• tuyere
• acyclovir
• asthenosphere
• ganciclovir
• magnetosphere
• atmosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere

Kids Definition

biosphere

noun

bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

: the part of the world in which life can exist

Medical Definition

biosphere

noun

bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

1

: the part of the world in which life can exist

2

: living beings together with their environment