organism

noun or·gan·ism \ ˈȯr-gə-ˌni-zəm \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of organism

1 : a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements whose relations and properties are largely determined by their function in the whole

the nation is not merely the sum of individual citizens at any given time, but it is a living organism, a mystical body … of which the individual is an ephemeral part
—Joseph Rossi

2 : an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of parts or organs more or less separate in function but mutually dependent : a living being

a multicellular organism

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organismic

play \ˌȯr-gə-ˈniz-mik\ or less commonly organismal play \ˌȯr-gə-ˈniz-məl\ adjective

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organismically

play \ˌȯr-gə-ˈniz-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of organism in a Sentence

A human being is a complex organism.

Recent Examples of organism from the Web

The first theme centers on superorganisms, animals such as ants and bees that act in cohesion as a single organism.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "17 gigantic bugs have crawled into the Academy of Natural Sciences for 'Xtreme Bugs' exhibit," 22 May 2018
And by those criteria, the Chinese giant salamander is a model organism.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "The Adorable Chinese Giant Salamander Is Slithering Toward Extinction," 21 May 2018
The snails, which are about five inches long, are a useful organism for studying how memories are formed because their neurons are large and relatively easy to work with.

— veronique greenwood, New York Times, "Scientists Made Snails Remember Something That Never Happened to Them," 15 May 2018
Viewed from the Googleplex, or One Hacker Way, humanity is a bit like an ant colony: a complex yet predictable emergent organism.

— felix salmon, WIRED, "Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Ethically Iffy ‘Philanthropy," 15 May 2018
The work is in snails, animals that have proven a powerful model organism for neuroscience but whose simple brains work far differently than those of humans.

— usha lee mcfarling, STAT, "Memory transferred between snails, challenging standard theory of how the brain remembers," 14 May 2018
An infrared camera integrated at the front of the vehicle picks up heat coming from a living organism.

— viknesh vijayenthiran, Fox News, "Night vision system coming to Volkswagen cars," 7 May 2018
Fermented botanicals contain micro-organisms that release enzymes that ferment and break down molecules into the raw material, resulting in the creation of new substances that benefit the skin, explains dermatology professor Cho.

— marian liu, CNN, "Beyond beauty: Korean makeup provides 'cosmeceuticals'," 11 Apr. 2018
Rosshart had joined the lab of NIDDKD immunologist Barbara Rehermann in 2013, and the two began poring over the literature on the microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live on and in a larger organism.

— cassandra willyard, Scientific American, "Squeaky Clean Mice Could be Ruining Research," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'organism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.