free living

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Scientists have identified around 400 species of free-living amoebae, but only six are known to cause disease in humans - including Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba, both of which can infect the brain.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

It’s also a parasite — because who needs to be free-living when you’re this fabulous?

From Salon • May 27, 2025

And most recently, some of those species again traded their ability to make silk for a free-living, clinging life in these faster waters.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 12, 2024

These power plants inside our cells descended from what were once free-living bacteria.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

Were they once free-living in the wild and then induced to adopt a less strenuous life on the farm?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan