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.
Bipedal hunters like Gorgosaurus, a lanky cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex, would have attacked Zuul from above instead of smashing into its flank.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2022
“Here,” Mr. Ellis said, picking up a scientific article with the title “Underwater Bipedal Locomotion by Octopuses in Disguise.”
From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2012
Bipedal, unarmored, with a single row of serrated cutting teeth, three-toed hind feet.
From Dinosaurs With Special Reference to the American Museum Collections by Osborn, Henry Fairfield
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.
