giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe jə-ˈraf 

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

Giraffe : camelopardalis

giraffish

jə-ˈra-fish 

adjective

Illustration of giraffe

• giraffe 1

Examples of giraffe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Astrophotographer Greg Meyer has captured an evocative image of a shadowy nebula drifting through interstellar space, which conjures the image of a cosmic giraffe galloping through a sea of stars. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026

Grazers—zebras, giraffes, impalas, warthogs, and more—soon follow, benefiting from the elephants’ labor. —Nicholas Derenzo, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2026

Jasiri, a reticulated giraffe at the Denver Zoo, will spend a few months at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for those breeding efforts, according to the organization. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 11 Jan. 2026

Due to construction underway on a new giraffe complex, the zoo’s entire giraffe herd will remain behind the scenes until the new habitat opens this summer, the zoo said in its post Friday. —Kendrick Calfee january 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian giraffa, from Arabic zirāfa

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing giraffe

• reticulated giraffe

Rhymes for giraffe

• behalf
• carafe
• digraph
• distaff
• falstaff
• subgraph
• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph

Kids Definition

giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe ˈjə-ˈraf 

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