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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The chimp findings also bolster research on communication in other primates, including orangutans and bonobos.
—
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 12 May 2025
But this number varied across populations, suggesting that while females have earned high status in bonobo societies, this dominance doesn’t go unchallenged.
Bonobos, along with chimpanzees, are humans’ closest living relatives.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
In the wild, researchers found that female bonobos form coalitions to suppress male aggression and maintain social power.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 25 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
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Jon Hamilton, NPR, 12 May 2025
But this number varied across populations, suggesting that while females have earned high status in bonobo societies, this dominance doesn’t go unchallenged.
Bonobos, along with chimpanzees, are humans’ closest living relatives.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
In the wild, researchers found that female bonobos form coalitions to suppress male aggression and maintain social power.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 25 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
See All Example Sentences for bonobo
Cite this Entry
“Bonobo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonobo. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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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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