biped

noun

bi·​ped ˈbī-ˌped How to pronounce biped (audio)
: a two-footed animal
Australopithecines were bipeds.
bipedal adjective
bipedally adverb

Examples of biped in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The footage shows a large, hairy biped walking across a hillside before squatting in the sagebrush. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 10 Oct. 2023 Now, of course, Boston Dynamics is the authority in legged robots, with its Atlas biped and Spot quadruped. IEEE Spectrum, 31 July 2023 Once inside, even the tallest biped will find the rear executive-lounge-style seats of the Maybach to be among the most comfortable this side of airborne First Class. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 27 June 2023 My character—an aquatic, half-fish biped known as a kuo-toa—died, but was revived with some special herbs. Ed Park, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2023 What’s unique about this research is that it’s intended to be applied to any quadruped at all—with some very minor hardware, your quadruped can become a biped, too. IEEE Spectrum, 8 Mar. 2023 Or maybe hobbits had descended from Australopithecus afarensis — Lucy’s kin — since that species was a highly adaptable biped that spread over great masses of African land. Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011 Sightings of a furry, upright biped and reports of beastly footprints have been reported from as far afield as the Himalayas. Lauren Kent, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2022 Some things, like the general shape of our femurs, are the product of generations of evolution, which selected the traits that were most useful for bipeds. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biped.' 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 biped-, bipes, from bi- + ped-, pes foot — more at foot

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biped was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near biped

Cite this Entry

“Biped.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biped. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

biped

noun
bi·​ped ˈbī-ˌped How to pronounce biped (audio)
: a two-footed animal
bipedal adjective

Medical Definition

biped

noun
bi·​ped ˈbī-ˌped How to pronounce biped (audio)
: a two-footed animal
biped adjective
bipedally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on biped

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