amoeboid

adjective

amoe·​boid ə-ˈmē-ˌbȯid How to pronounce amoeboid (audio)
variants or less commonly ameboid
: resembling an amoeba specifically in moving or changing in shape by means of protoplasmic flow

Examples of amoeboid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Looking like a puffy white star studded with little pearls, this is the shell of an amoeboid protist called a foraminifera, or foram. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 Around the same time, Lina Bo Bardi punched out amoeboid openings in the side of a concrete steel-drum-factory tower in São Paulo, transforming it into a cultural center. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021 Other microorganisms travel using amoeboid movement, driven by flexing of their cellular skeletons, built from the protein actin. Tom Siegfried, Smithsonian, 26 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amoeboid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amoeboid was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near amoeboid

Cite this Entry

“Amoeboid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amoeboid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amoeboid

adjective
amoe·​boid
variants also ameboid
ə-ˈmē-ˌbȯid
: resembling an amoeba especially in moving or changing shape by means of the flow of cytoplasm

Medical Definition

amoeboid

adjective
amoe·​boid
variants or ameboid
: resembling an amoeba specifically in moving or changing shape by means of protoplasmic flow
amoeboid movement of monocytes
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