giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe jə-ˈraf How to pronounce giraffe (audio)
plural giraffes
1
or plural giraffe : a large fleet African ruminant mammal (Giraffa camelopardalis) that is the tallest of living quadrupeds and has a very long neck and a short coat with dark blotches separated by pale lines
2
capitalized : camelopardalis
giraffish adjective

Illustration of giraffe

Illustration of giraffe
  • giraffe 1

Examples of giraffe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was spotted hanging around the giraffes at Audubon Zoo. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025 That summer, Schiffman, who had recently made a documentary for National Geographic about relocating giraffes, read a story in the Times about Fritz, the Waldrapp project (Waldrapp is the German term for the species), and the first migration to Spain. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 At the same time, wide swaths of Africa has been dealing with more frequent droughts, which have put insurmountable pressure on giraffe populations. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024 This technique lends an ethereal quality to her portraits of African women as well as her photos of giraffes crossing grassy plains in Kenya. Issy Ronald, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for giraffe

Word History

Etymology

Italian giraffa, from Arabic zirāfa

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of giraffe was circa 1600

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Cite this Entry

“Giraffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giraffe. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

giraffe

noun
gi·​raffe ˈjə-ˈraf How to pronounce giraffe (audio)
plural giraffes or giraffe
: a large swift cud-chewing spotted African mammal with a very long neck that is the tallest of living four-footed animals

More from Merriam-Webster on giraffe

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