plural bonobos
: a rare great 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
Recent Examples on the Web
By studying modern primates that can fully metabolize alcohol (e.g., gorillas, chimps, bonobos) and those that can’t (e.g., orangutans and gibbons), scientists re-created and tested ancestral versions of the enzymes to see at what point the genetic divergence occurred.
—
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Sahelanthropus tchadensis lived in north-central Africa seven million years ago, right when the hominin lineage split off from that of our nearest animal relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
From existing scientific literature, the researchers collected information on which modern primate species have been observed kissing; these included chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and one species of gorilla.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
Specifically one person who works with wild chimps and bonobos.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bonobo
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.
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Sahelanthropus tchadensis lived in north-central Africa seven million years ago, right when the hominin lineage split off from that of our nearest animal relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
From existing scientific literature, the researchers collected information on which modern primate species have been observed kissing; these included chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and one species of gorilla.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
Specifically one person who works with wild chimps and bonobos.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 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 18 Jan. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
