How to Use bipedalism in a Sentence

bipedalism

noun
  • As such, any links to our own bipedalism look much less clear-cut.
    — Vivien Shaw, Quartz, 14 Dec. 2019
  • Our own bipedalism--like much of the rest of our biology--has deep roots.
    — Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2011
  • Other maladies may be traced back to the origin of bipedalism.
    — Adrian Woolfson, WSJ, 31 May 2021
  • One of them is a project to investigate the origins of bipedalism.
    — Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2019
  • More than 85 percent of the chimpanzees’ bipedalism events occurred in the trees.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The ability to move around on two legs, known as bipedalism, is a defining feature of modern humans.
    — Han Yu, WSJ, 2 June 2023
  • The point where the spinal cord had joined the skull was too far forward for a knuckle walker, indicating bipedalism.
    — Quanta Magazine, 10 Nov. 2015
  • But scientists have long debated the extent of her bipedalism.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 June 2023
  • But new research shows that wild chimpanzees walk upright in trees far more often than on the ground, suggesting bipedalism could have first evolved up high.
    — Daniel Leonard, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2023
  • In our human ancestors, the evolution of the sweat gland is even more complex than the evolution of bipedalism.
    — Jeff Goodell, Time, 6 July 2023
  • Evidence of bipedalism began with previous studies of the skull.
    — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2022
  • Evolution gave human ancestors big brains and bipedalism, among other attributes that our species has retained to this day.
    — NBC News, 12 Aug. 2019
  • Early species were adapted to climbing as well as bipedalism; later species had more specialized diets of tough, fibrous food.
    — National Geographic, 30 Jan. 2020
  • One of the key traits that separates hominins from apes is bipedalism, or walking upright on two legs, freeing the arms to throw spears, pick berries or carry children.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 5 July 2018
  • Researchers proposed an out-of-Bulgaria theory for the emergence of bipedalism.
    — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
  • But new fossil records contain footprints displaying clear signs of bipedalism, according to the scientists who studied them.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 24 Apr. 2018
  • The origin of human bipedalism has long been a hot topic among paleoanthropologists.
    — Brian Switek, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2009
  • The first scenario places fur loss within a few million years of the origins of bipedalism, when our ancestors were merely 3 to 4 feet tall, with chimpanzee-sized brains.
    — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2019
  • Thus, perhaps dinosaurs making the transition from bipedalism walked in such a way, too—walking on their palms with hyperextended fingers.
    — Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 1 June 2015
  • One of the most obvious adaptations that separates humans from our close genetic relatives is bipedalism.
    — Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023
  • All modern birds can trace their origins to theropods, according to paleontologists, with features like plumage, bipedalism and egg-laying common to both groups.
    — Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
  • Humanity’s early ancestors started dabbling with bipedalism — walking on two legs — as much as 6 to 7 million years ago.
    — Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023
  • The findings contrast with a prevailing theory about human bipedalism—walking on two feet—known as the savanna hypothesis.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The loss has long been associated with our transition to bipedalism, but little was known about the genetic factors that triggered primate taillessness.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
  • Researchers later realized that a femur found alongside the skull fragments belonged to the hominin, but when it was first analyzed, researchers saw no evidence for bipedalism.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
  • But not all experts have agreed that the Sahelanthropus skull definitely suggested bipedalism.
    — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2022
  • The analysis also confirmed the presence of other traits in Sahelanthropus that are linked to bipedalism, according to researchers.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The study authors argue that humans became strongly right-handed through a gradual evolutionary process tied to bipedalism and brain expansion rather than a single genetic switch.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026
  • However, his team’s data does not bear that out, instead suggesting that more open environments were not a catalyst in encouraging bipedalism, said Piel.
    — Jack Guy, CNN, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Moreover, the additional analysis of the chimpanzees' bursts of brief, bipedal movement strengthened the team's conclusion that our ancient ancestors' full-time bipedalism could’ve been born amongst the trees.
    — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2022

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

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