living thing
compound.any life form that can grow, breathe, and reproduce, such as a person, animal, or plant.
compound.a biological organism that exhibits the characteristics of life, including metabolism, growth, and response to stimuli. Used as a countable noun to distinguish organic life from inanimate objects.
“Every living thing needs water to survive.”
“The scientist studied how every living thing in the pond interacted with the environment.”
“The ethical debate centered on whether a virus should be classified as a living thing or merely a complex organic structure.”
usually functions as a countable noun and often appears in the plural form 'living things'.
use this to teach the distinction between 'living' (biological state) and 'alive' (adjective); 'living thing' is a standard compound for 'organism' in non-scientific contexts.