Amazon

[ am-uh-zon, -zuhn ]

/ ˈæm əˌzɒn, -zən /

Save This Word!

noun

a river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3,900 miles (6,280 km) long.

Classical Mythology. one of a nation of female warriors said to dwell near the Black Sea.

one of a fabled tribe of female warriors in South America.

Often amazon . a tall, powerful, aggressive woman.

Amazon ant.

any of several green parrots of the genus Amazona, of tropical America, often kept as pets.

Trademark.

the brand name for a retail website, launched in 1995, that has expanded to include cloud computing and other services.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Amazon

From Latin Amazōn, from Greek Amazṓn, of obscure origin

Words nearby Amazon

amazed, amazement, Amaziah, amazing, “Amazing Grace”, Amazon, Amazon ant, Amazonas, Amazon cherry, Amazonia, Amazonian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Amazon in a sentence

My colleague Jonathan Vanian has a couple of his highlights and CNET has an even more detailed exploration of what was announced, if you are an Amazon maximalist.
Believe it or not, the house drone is not Amazon’s most interesting new feature|Aaron Pressman|September 25, 2020|Fortune
As I type, Amazon is up nearly 1% in pre-market trading, helped by investor enthusiasm for a new lineup of products introduced yesterday.
Gold bugs are on the back foot as COVID concerns climb and stimulus-check hopes fade|Bernhard Warner|September 25, 2020|Fortune
After years of rumors, Amazon finally detailed its cloud-gaming service Luna, which lets people stream certain video games to devices like personal computers without having to buy a video game console.
Amazon debuted a long list of products today. Here are 3 standouts|jonathanvanian2015|September 24, 2020|Fortune
It also offers simulated quantum computers available through Amazon’s Braket cloud computing service and others.
Startup debuts software to help any company use ‘quantum algorithms’|Jeremy Kahn|September 24, 2020|Fortune

Earlier this week, Echelon Fitness unveiled an “Ex-Prime” bike for $500 that it said was developed in collaboration with Amazon.
Amazon denies it’s developing an exercise bike with Echelon Fitness|Verne Kopytoff|September 23, 2020|Fortune
The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It looks like Amazon is on track to get additional Pentagon contracts as well.
How Amazon Became Santa’s Sweatshop|Sally Kohn|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Atlantic has reported extensively on the at least $600 million Amazon stands to be paid for handling CIA data.
How Amazon Became Santa’s Sweatshop|Sally Kohn|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Netflix and Amazon, two companies responsible for much of our contemporary TV-viewing habits, have taken things to the next level.
Binge Watching is the New Bonding Time|The Daily Beast|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crowd labor platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk operate with few rules and little protection for workers.
Amazon’s Turkers Kick Off the First Crowdsourced Labor Guild|Kevin Zawacki|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the tribes inhabiting the district of the lower Amazon indulge in snuff-taking.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
In this locality the rubber harvest commences as soon as the Amazon falls which is usually about the first of August.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
The buildings are usually grouped together at a favorable spot on the banks of the Amazon or one of its tributaries.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
The manati is not peculiar to the Amazon river, being not less common in the Oronooko.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Probably the densest forests in the world are those in the Amazon region of South America.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. VI, No. 3, October 1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Amazon (1 of 3)

amazon

/ (ˈæməzən) /

noun

any of various tropical American parrots of the genus Amazona, such as A. farinosa (green amazon), having a short tail and mainly green plumage

British Dictionary definitions for Amazon (2 of 3)

Amazon¹

/ (ˈæməzən) /

noun

Greek myth one of a race of women warriors of Scythia near the Black Sea

one of a legendary tribe of female warriors of South America

(often not capital) any tall, strong, or aggressive woman

Derived forms of Amazon

Amazonian (ˌæməˈzəʊnɪən), adjective

Word Origin for Amazon

C14: via Latin from Greek Amazōn, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for Amazon (3 of 3)

Amazon²

/ (ˈæməzən) /

noun

a river in South America, rising in the Peruvian Andes and flowing east through N Brazil to the Atlantic: in volume, the largest river in the world; navigable for 3700 km (2300 miles). Length: over 6440 km (4000 miles). Area of basin: over 5 827 500 sq km (2 250 000 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012