amoeba
Americannoun
noun
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The term amoeba is sometimes used to refer to something with an indefinite, changeable shape.
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Etymology
Origin of amoeba
C19: from New Latin, from Greek amoibē change, from ameibein to change, exchange
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Explanation
An amoeba is a tiny, single-celled organism. You need a powerful microscope to see an amoeba. An amoeba is distinguished by the fact that it has only one cell, and that the shape of its body is vague and irregular. An amoeba stretches and changes shape as it moves, and reproduces by splitting itself in two. The amoeba was discovered in 1757 and named almost 100 years later, from the Greek root amoibe, or "change."
Vocabulary lists containing amoeba
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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.
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Read more about the amoeba outbreak in Kerala, India.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Its undulating form has earned its share of abuse, and it has been compared to a pancake or an amoeba.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
In fact, they immediately set themselves on the task of pleasing Carol and those like her, along with solving the riddle of their immunity, so they can absorb the stragglers into their joy amoeba.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
In the meter stick analogy, amplifying the signal makes the amoeba appear larger so that even coarse measurement markings can capture it accurately.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025
I draw a sweeping abstract something that’s a cross between an amoeba and a manta ray with eyes and mouths in unexpected places.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
The researchers also warn that amoebae can act as living shelters for other harmful microbes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
These organisms, known as free living amoebae, are found in water and soil, but scientists say some species are becoming increasingly concerning as the world warms and water systems age.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
Many of these amoebae thrive in warm conditions, so as water temperatures increase, they are likely to expand into new regions where they were once uncommon.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026
A deeper understanding of how giant viruses infect and destroy amoebae could eventually help researchers develop new approaches to preventing or treating these infections.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2026
I suppose it all started when Lorraine and I and these two amoebae called Dennis Kobin and Norton Kelly were hot on those phone gags last September.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
Many are microscopic, single celled organisms, including amoebas, algae, and diatoms.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
Visitors to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada are being warned against submerging themselves in the hot springs below the Hoover Dam due to the risk of infection by deadly brain-eating amoebas.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
Although kelp behaves and looks like a plant, it’s a protist, the same group as single-cell amoebas.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
The researchers used amoebas as “virus bait,” they said, because they thought it would be a good way to search for viruses without propagating ones that could spread to animals or humans.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2022
Almost the moment my mom left, Otto and I came down with amoebas.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
