Amazon

American  

[am-uh-zon, -zuhn] / ˈæm əˌzɒn, -zən /

noun

1. a river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3,900 miles (6,280 km) long.

2. Classical Mythology. one of a nation of female warriors said to dwell near the Black Sea.

3. one of a fabled tribe of female warriors in South America.

4. Often amazon a tall, powerful, aggressive woman.

5. Amazon ant.

6. any of several green parrots of the genus Amazona, of tropical America, often kept as pets.

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Trademark.

1. the brand name for a retail website, launched in 1995, that has expanded to include cloud computing and other services.

Amazon ¹ British  

/ ˌæməˈzəʊnɪən, ˈæməzən /

noun

1. Greek myth one of a race of women warriors of Scythia near the Black Sea

2. one of a legendary tribe of female warriors of South America

3. (often not capital) any tall, strong, or aggressive woman

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Amazon ² British  

/ ˈæməzən /

noun

1. a river in South America, rising in the Peruvian Andes and flowing east through N Brazil to the Atlantic: in volume, the largest river in the world; navigable for 3700 km (2300 miles). Length: over 6440 km (4000 miles). Area of basin: over 5 827 500 sq km (2 250 000 sq miles)

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amazon ³ British  

/ ˈæməzən /

noun

1. any of various tropical American parrots of the genus Amazona, such as A. farinosa (green amazon), having a short tail and mainly green plumage

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Other Word Forms

• Amazonian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Amazon

From Latin Amazōn, from Greek Amazṓn, of obscure origin

Explanation

An amazon is a big, strong, warrior-like woman, someone who reminds you of the mythical Greek women-warriors, the Amazons. Describing someone as an amazon can sometimes have a negative tinge. If you call a tennis star an amazon, you may be suggesting that she's got an unfair advantage over her competitors because of her size, and for some, strength in a woman is not attractive. But amazon can also be an admiring term for a statuesque, athletic woman. After all, Wonder Woman was an amazon.

Example Sentences

However, losing the satellite could slow the company down as it seeks to compete with SpaceX and Amazon.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

So 40 companies that power our digital lives, including Apple, Google and Amazon, will get early access to find security weaknesses in their systems—and patch them before hackers take notice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Digital firms including Amazon and Meta were at the summit, signed the joint statement, and have stepped up their anti-scam protections.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Using Amazon sales from August 2023 as a reference point, they calculated that approximately 1.55 trillion microplastic fibers could be released each month.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

I give him Amazon gift cards: Please, cousin, read something, try a little bit.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon