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

According to the sanctuary, western chimpanzees like Janet are critically endangered. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 15 July 2024

After leaving her full-time role in the series in 2011, the actress got a fresh start by playing a dinosaur hunter in Primeval: New World (2012–2013) for one season and, through motion capture, portrayed a chimpanzee in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 1 June 2024

In 1966 primatologist Jane Goodall famously witnessed a deadly polio epidemic among chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, after an outbreak in a human encampment nearby. —Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 5 Mar. 2024

Researchers saw chimpanzees in Taï National Park climbing to higher ground to spy on neighboring rivals, mirroring a millennia-old human military strategy. —Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 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