Meaning & use
bipeds
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“bipeds” is a form of “biped”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
an animal or person that walks on two legs.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'biped'; the singular is 'a biped'.
Patterns
- a biped
- bipeds such as humans
- walk as a biped
Humans are bipeds, while dogs are quadrupeds.
The dinosaur was one of the earliest bipeds.
Bipeds have a different gait from animals that walk on all fours.
Word forms
| singular | biped |
|---|
Common combinations
- obligate bipeds
- Birds are obligate bipeds; they never walk on all fours.
- facultative bipeds
- Some lizards are facultative bipeds, running on two legs only when needed.
- bipedal locomotion
- Bipedal locomotion freed the hands for tool use.
Synonyms and how they differ
- two-legged
- This is an adjective, not a noun, so you would say 'a two-legged animal' rather than 'a two-legged'.
Opposites
Word family
- bipedal adjective
- relating to walking on two legs.
- bipedalism noun
- the condition or habit of walking on two legs.
Commonly confused: bipeds or bipedal?
bipeds vs bipedal
Bipedal is an adjective meaning 'walking on two legs', while bipeds is the plural noun for the creatures themselves.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bipeds' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Bipeds is a plural noun, so it should be used with a plural verb and no article. Option 0 is wrong because 'a' cannot be used with a plural. Option 2 is wrong because bipeds is not a verb. Option 3 is wrong because 'that' is singular.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bipeds”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.