amphibious
Americanadjective
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living or able to live both on land and in water; belonging to both land and water.
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Also capable of operating on both land and water.
amphibious vehicles.
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of or relating to military operations by both land and naval forces against the same object, especially to a military attack by troops landed by naval ships.
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trained or organized to fight, or fighting, on both land and sea.
amphibious troops.
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combining two qualities, kinds, traits, etc.; of or having a mixed or twofold nature.
adjective
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able to live both on land and in the water, as frogs, toads, etc
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designed for operation on or from both water and land
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relating to military forces and equipment organized for operations launched from the sea against an enemy shore
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having a dual or mixed nature
Other Word Forms
- amphibiously adverb
- amphibiousness noun
- nonamphibious adjective
- nonamphibiously adverb
- nonamphibiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of amphibious
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin amphibius, from Greek amphíbios “living a double life”; amphi-, bio-, -ous
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.
Seizing Kharg Island and the islands near the mainland would require an amphibious landing on a contested shoreline, among “the hardest operations” a military can attempt, and one that Iran is almost certainly prepared for.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
There appear to be three routes for US forces wishing to seize the island -– an airborne attack; an amphibious operation; or a combination of the two.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
The three warships are part of the San Diego-based USS Boxer amphibious ready group.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
The unit, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, is slated to arrive in the Middle East from Japan in just over a week.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Operation Forager was under the command of Admiral Nimitz, and Marine General Holland Smith was in charge of the amphibious landings.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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.
