1
: the amount of living matter (as in a unit area or volume of habitat)
2
: plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel

Examples of biomass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Around a third of methane emitted into the atmosphere comes from natural sources like wetlands, with the rest from anthropogenic sources such as cattle, rice farming, landfills and biomass burning. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Spiber can also work with other fermentation products and microbial biomass. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 Mittelstadt says his company once served biomass energy but not currently. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 All of that material is currently hauled elsewhere for disposal, including round trips of about 200 miles to other biomass facilities. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for biomass

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of biomass was in 1931

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Cite this Entry

“Biomass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biomass. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: the amount of living matter (as in an area or volume of habitat)
2
: plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel

Medical Definition

: the amount of living matter (as in a unit area or volume of habitat)

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