superorganism
noun
su·per·or·gan·ism
| \ ˌsü-pər-ˈȯr-gə-ˌni-zəm
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Definition of superorganism
: 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
Trees can clone themselves into 80,000-year-old superorganisms. — Ellie Shechet, New York Times, "Do Plants Have Something to Say?," 28 Aug. 2019 Such subterranean junctions permit exchange between individual trees of food, water, minerals and even micro-organisms, to create what some regard as a superorganism. — The Economist, "Tree stumps can live on indefinitely...," 25 July 2019 No other bee takes division of labor to such an extreme, with colonies comprising one queen and tens of thousands of workers thrumming along in perfect synchrony—a superorganism. — Lucas Foglia, National Geographic, "Beekeepers hit hard by thefts of hives," 3 May 2019 The colony is a well-oiled superorganism, similar to ant and termite colonies. — National Geographic, "How honeybees get their jobs—explained," 22 Mar. 2019 Slime mold is sometimes called a superorganism: an organism made up of organisms. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Trump doesn’t have a science adviser. This slime mold is available.," 5 Apr. 2018 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 Keats argues humans are becoming more and more like a superorganism. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Trump doesn’t have a science adviser. This slime mold is available.," 5 Apr. 2018 The film draws on philosophers, evolutionary biologists, and others who talk about the human superorganism (like a supersized ant colony) altering the environment as an entity in ways that can make any one human feel overwhelmed. — Gary Thompson, Philly.com, "Jeff Bridges talks about the Dude, the planet, and whatever else crosses his mind," 29 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'superorganism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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