bipedal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bipedal
Explanation
Animals that walk on two legs are bipedal. So while you're bipedal, your cat is not. Bipedal animals include humans, ostriches, and gibbons. Many others are known as optional bipeds, meaning they're bipedal some of the time and walk on all four legs at other times. Apes, kangaroos, and bears are occasionally bipedal — and your little dog might be too, if she's very well trained. This word comes from the roots bi-,"two," and ped, "foot."
Vocabulary lists containing bipedal
"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell
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The Ancient Period, Before 600 BCE
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This Week In Culture: December 21–27, 2019
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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.
At that size, people in the industry worry about the damage that could ensue if a bipedal robot loses power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
The broad robotics build-out is already shipping; the bipedal version is the part still living in highlight reels, so be wary of pure humanoid stories until the order book is visible.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
However, that changed once researchers added two key traits into their models: brain size and the ratio between arm length and leg length, which is commonly used as a marker of bipedal movement.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
Does creating the world’s fastest bipedal humanoid in a half-marathon stretch China’s lead in the overall robotics race?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
Perhaps some key steps in the development of the genetic code, or the Cambrian explosion, or bipedal stature among our ancestors were initiated by cosmic rays.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
