bipedal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- bipedally adverb
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.
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
Schaeffler's goal is to develop components that allow for highly energy efficient, well-controlled movement, which is essential for competent bipedal robots to move and work safely alongside humans.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
By looking at chimps, which along with bonobos are humans' closest living relatives, perhaps we "can help confirm some of the hypotheses about how those really early hominins, or bipedal apes, behaved", Pruetz said.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
The researchers also found that Sahelanthropus had a relatively long femur compared to its ulna, which adds further support for bipedal behavior.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
Perhaps the smart bipedal dinosaurs, or the raccoons, or the otters, or the squid.
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.
