free-living
adjective
free-liv·ing
ˈfrē-ˈli-viŋ 
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
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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
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 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
free-living
adjective
free-liv·ing
ˈfrē-ˈliv-iŋ
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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