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.
Two US Marine amphibious units are currently deploying to the Gulf.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 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
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times said Friday the Pentagon had dispatched the Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to the region along with its complement of some 2,500 Marines.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
His name was Major General Clinton Vogel, commanding general of the amphibious division of the Pacific Task Force.
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.
