free-living

adjective

free-liv·​ing ˈfrē-ˈli-viŋ How to pronounce free-living (audio)
1
: marked by more than usual freedom in the gratification of appetites
2
a
: not fixed to the substrate but capable of motility
a free-living protozoan
b
: being metabolically independent : neither parasitic nor symbiotic
a free-living adult hairworm

Examples of free-living in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bunk buys Past research has repeatedly demonstrated that the vast majority of free-living German roach populations have evolved resistance to pyrethroids, the class of insecticides most commonly found in consumer pest control products. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024 This is the same scenario that produced mitochondria and chloroplasts: Both organelles were formerly free-living bacteria that became symbionts of larger cells and eventually moved in permanently. Quanta Magazine, 17 July 2024 Two of these were formed through a process called endosymbiosis, in which a once free-living organism is incorporated into a cell. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024 The theory involves the mitochondrion — an organelle that was once a free-living bacterium. Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024 Long ago, mitochondria were free-living bacteria that joined forces with another type of primitive cell to work together in what became our modern complex cells. Quanta Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024 Alfie’s first free-living year—mating, raising her first brood—coincided with the 2020 Covid pandemic that confined us to our yard. Carl Safina, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023 But one of these amoebas, Naegleria fowleri, can infect humans, says Kyle, one of the world's top experts in pathogenic free-living amoebas. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2023 Professor Geiger and collaborators discovered these traits in free-living marine α-proteobacteria that are common in hot springs around the world. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'free-living.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of free-living was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near free-living

Cite this Entry

“Free-living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-living. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

free-living

adjective
free-liv·​ing ˈfrē-ˈliv-iŋ How to pronounce free-living (audio)
1
: not fixed to the substrate but capable of motility
a free-living protozoan
2
: being metabolically independent : neither parasitic nor symbiotic
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