amphibious

adjective

am·​phib·​i·​ous am-ˈfi-bē-əs How to pronounce amphibious (audio)
1
: combining two characteristics
2
a
: relating to or adapted for both land and water
amphibious vehicles
b
: executed by coordinated action of land, sea, and air forces organized for invasion
an amphibious landing
also : trained or organized for such action
amphibious forces
3
: able to live both on land and in water
amphibious plants
amphibiously adverb
amphibiousness noun

Examples of amphibious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The yard is currently doing repairs and upgrades on the littoral combat ships USS Charleston and USS Oakland and on the amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha and some work on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at Naval Station San Diego. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 The private lessons are meant to be easily tailored the the individual student’s needs, with golf carts an amphibious beach wheelchairs onhand to assist as needed. Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 The experience is tailored to each individual’s needs and can include the use of an access trax, golf carts, and amphibious beach wheelchairs. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 The small but heavy amphibious vehicle that reached speeds of 7 mph on water and 70 mph on land. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 Eventually, Ukraine might also use this amphibious capability as part of a campaign to retake Crimea. Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024 The Germans had ample experience building amphibious vehicles, including the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, 15,000 examples of which were built by Volkswagen and Porsche, mostly used by the Nazis during World War II, and Trippel’s own SG6, a vehicle put to similar nefarious uses. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2024 The 370-foot-long ship that Ukraine claimed to have sunk on Tuesday, the Novocherkassk, is designed to land troops and vehicles during amphibious assaults. Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023 In the Eastern Mediterranean, where the USS Ford spent the bulk of its deployment, there is an amphibious ready group made up of about 2,400 sailors and Marines as of Wednesday. Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin amphibius "living both on land and in water" (borrowed from Greek amphíbios "living a double life, living both on land and in the water," from amphi- amphi- + -bios "having such a mode of life," derivative of bíos "life") + -ous — more at quick entry 1

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of amphibious was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near amphibious

Cite this Entry

“Amphibious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amphibious. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amphibious

adjective
am·​phib·​i·​ous am-ˈfib-ē-əs How to pronounce amphibious (audio)
1
: able to live both on land and in water
amphibious plants
2
a
: designed for use on both land and water
amphibious vehicles
b
: carried out by land, sea, and air forces acting together
an amphibious assault
amphibiously adverb
amphibiousness noun
Etymology

from Greek amphibios "living a double life," from amphi- "around, on both sides" and bios "mode of life"

More from Merriam-Webster on amphibious

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