plural bonobos
: a rare anthropoid ape (Pan paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes) and that inhabits a small geographic region in equatorial Africa south of the Congo River
called also pygmy chimpanzee
Examples of bonobo in a Sentence
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Another team of scientists concluded this month that bonobo calls share a key trait with human speech.
—
Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
The bonobos’ use of both trivial and complex call compositions suggests that bonobos and humans are closer to each other than traditionally thought, at least in terms of the structure of our communication.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
New research out of the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior finds that female bonobos team up to keep male bonobos in line, even though the males are larger and stronger than the females.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025
Berthet and her colleagues wanted to apply the same trick to bonobos’ calls.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
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Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
The bonobos’ use of both trivial and complex call compositions suggests that bonobos and humans are closer to each other than traditionally thought, at least in terms of the structure of our communication.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
New research out of the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior finds that female bonobos team up to keep male bonobos in line, even though the males are larger and stronger than the females.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025
Berthet and her colleagues wanted to apply the same trick to bonobos’ calls.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bonobo
Cite this Entry
“Bonobo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonobo. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bonobo
noun
bo·no·bo
bə-ˈnō-bō; ˈbä-nə-bō 
-nō-
-nō-
: a rare anthropoid ape of the genus Pan (P. paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes)
called also pygmy chimpanzee
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