Illustration of amoeba
- 1 pseudopodium
- 2 nucleus
- 3 contractile vacuole
- 4 food vacuole
ameba, amebic, ameboid
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ame·ba
less common spellings of amoeba, amoebic, amoeboid
: any of a large genus (Amoeba) of naked rhizopod protozoans with lobed and never anastomosing pseudopodia, without permanent organelles or supporting structures, and of wide distribution in fresh and salt water and moist terrestrial environments
broadly
: a naked rhizopod or other amoeboid protozoan
variants
or less commonly ameba
plural amoebas or amoebae also amebas or amebae
ə-ˈmē-(ˌ)bē
: any of a large genus (Amoeba) of naked rhizopod protozoans with lobed and never anastomosing pseudopodia, without permanent organelles or supporting structures, and of wide distribution in fresh and salt water and moist terrestrial environments
broadly
: a naked rhizopod or other amoeboid protozoan
amoebic
adjective
or less commonly amebic
ə-ˈmē-bik
Cite this Entry
“Ameba.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ameba. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.
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