human being

noun

: human

Examples of human being in a Sentence

She's a very warm and generous human being. We should do more to help our fellow human beings. The drug has not yet been tested on human beings.

Word History

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of human being was in 1694

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

human

human being

human capital

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Human being.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/human%20being. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

human being

noun

: an individual of the species of primate mammal that walks on two feet : a person

Medical Definition

human being

noun

: human

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

draconian

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

human being

noun

Synonyms

Examples of human being in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition