chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee (ˌ)chim-ˌpan-ˈzē 

-pən-ˈzē,

-ˈpan-zē 

 sometimes  (ˌ)shim-

: an anthropoid ape (Pan troglodytes) of equatorial Africa that is smaller and more arboreal than the gorilla compare bonobo

Illustration of chimpanzee

Examples of chimpanzee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Parrots can imitate us in ways that chimpanzees can’t, alright? —Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

In 2018, for example, a chimpanzee in Uganda gave birth to an albino baby, a vanishingly rare occurrence in the species. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

The bonobo is a primate closely related to chimpanzees. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 27 Oct. 2024

The public was asked to choose the name of the newest chimpanzee born at the Maryland Zoo. —Alexa Dikos, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Kongo dialect chimpenzi

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chimpanzee

• pygmy chimpanzee

Kids Definition

chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee ˌchim-ˌpan-ˈzē  ˌshim- 

chim-ˈpan-zē,

shim-

: an African ape that is related to the gorilla but is smaller and spends more of its time in trees

Medical Definition

chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee ˌchim-ˌpan-ˈzē  ˌshim- 

-pən-; chim-ˈpan-zē,

shim-

: an anthropoid ape of the genus Pan (P. troglodytes) found in equatorial Africa that is smaller and more arboreal than the gorilla see bonobo