life-form

noun

ˈlīf-ˈfȯrm How to pronounce life-form (audio)
-ˌfȯrm
: the body form that characterizes a kind of organism (such as a species) at maturity
also : a kind of organism

Examples of life-form in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And now the tech-bro leader of Prodigy City wants those life-forms for himself. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025 The scientists were surprised to find that the material was teeming with life-forms, some of which were unknown microorganisms. Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025 As a slow drip of oxygen filtered into the atmosphere and sea, any life-form that could handle an occasional brush with the new, poisonous gas — or even use it to its energetic benefit — may have been at an advantage. Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 23 July 2025 How scientists define a species When scientists talk about biodiversity – the variety of life-forms found in nature – species are the basic building blocks. Elay Shech, The Conversation, 30 May 2025 On top of this, many sea cucumbers host dozens of life-forms in and on their bodies—including the cloaca-inhabiting pearlfish. Katarina Zimmer, JSTOR Daily, 15 May 2025 Their organizations will need to become, in effect, a new organizational life-form. Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025 For the life-forms uncovered in Bellingshausen Sea, the dramatic loss of their former iceberg ceiling may rock their ecosystem. Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2025 Scientists urged the abandonment of attempts to create mirror life, against which existing life-forms may possess no defenses. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of life-form was in 1850

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Cite this Entry

“Life-form.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life-form. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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