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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How does amoeba compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
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myPerspectives 7.3
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Flying Lessons & Other Stories
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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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Inside the amoeba, these pathogens can survive in a kind of safe shelter, shielded from disinfectants that would normally destroy them.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026
A thoroughly uninflected, completely random space is not natural; after all, even an amoeba has a nucleus.
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
"Even a 1C rise can trigger its spread in Kerala's tropical climate and water pollution fuels it further by feeding bacteria the amoeba consumes," says Prof Anish.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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
Heat loving amoebae may be able to survive and spread in regions where they were once uncommon, increasing the chance of human exposure.
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
The danger does not come only from the amoebae themselves.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
A team of environmental and public health scientists is raising concerns about a largely overlooked group of microscopic organisms that may pose a growing danger worldwide: free living amoebae.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 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
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
Most are microscopic, single-celled organisms like amoebas, algae, and diatoms, but larger multicellular protists exist -- such as kelp, slime moulds, and red algae.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 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
Not only that, Amá says I should earn my quinceañera, even though I would rather eat a bowl of amoebas than go through with it.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
