superorganism
noun
su·per·or·gan·ism
ˌsü-pər-ˈȯr-gə-ˌni-zəm 
: an organized society (as of a social insect) that functions as an organic whole
Examples of superorganism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ants are biological marvels, living in enormous colonies that function as a single superorganism.
—
Emily Anthes Todd Heisler, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2023
In short, the ant raft is a superorganism.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2022
In any case, the striking parallels in Hou's study shows that the life of a superorganism is lorded over by the same numbers that governs the life of a solitary insect.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2010
Indeed, Bochynek and co think of it as a superorganism itself.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2021
Each individual is part of this human superorganism.
—Jason Stahl, SPIN, 23 June 2022
The human body is actually a superorganism teeming with bacteria, fungi and hundreds of trillions of viruses.
—Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2020
Their study, carried out over the course of nine days, proved that the stump under scrutiny was still a participating member of the local superorganism.
—The Economist, 25 July 2019
Trees can clone themselves into 80,000-year-old superorganisms.
—Ellie Shechet, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2019
Emily Anthes Todd Heisler, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2023
In short, the ant raft is a superorganism.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2022
In any case, the striking parallels in Hou's study shows that the life of a superorganism is lorded over by the same numbers that governs the life of a solitary insect.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2010
Indeed, Bochynek and co think of it as a superorganism itself.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2021
Each individual is part of this human superorganism.
—Jason Stahl, SPIN, 23 June 2022
The human body is actually a superorganism teeming with bacteria, fungi and hundreds of trillions of viruses.
—Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2020
Their study, carried out over the course of nine days, proved that the stump under scrutiny was still a participating member of the local superorganism.
—The Economist, 25 July 2019
Trees can clone themselves into 80,000-year-old superorganisms.
—Ellie Shechet, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'superorganism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near superorganism
Cite this Entry
“Superorganism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superorganism. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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