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.
In Mason’s view, humans, as the only species known to have an awareness of extinction, have a unique moral obligation to preserve other life-forms from dangers such as asteroid strikes, nuclear war, or climate catastrophes. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 Microbes are found throughout our planet’s biosphere because many of them are able to flourish under very harsh conditions that apparently preclude larger, more complex life-forms. Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2025 Jains grapple with the destructive impacts of everyday actions on other life-forms; their answer has been to reduce harm as much as possible through ahimsa, nonviolence. Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025 Even on planets where surface conditions today seem inhospitable, lava tubes may once have provided temporary or enduring refuge to life-forms that rapidly colonized the interiors and survived. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024 The three astronauts are not the only life-forms on China’s space station. Chris Buckley, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2024 An organizational life-form appears to emerging that is very different from the grim realities of the steep hierarchies of authority of the 20th century. Steve Denning, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Newcomer Maia Kealoha will star as Lilo, while Chris Sanders (who voiced Stitch in the original film) will reprise his role as the extraterrestrial life-form resembling a blue koala. Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024 Uncovering an antioxidant’s secret Previous research has shown that Deinococcus, known as the most radiant-resistant life-form in the Guinness World Records, can survive outside of the International Space Station for three years. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near life-form

Cite this Entry

“Life-form.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life-form. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

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