gibbon

noun

gib·​bon ˈgi-bən How to pronounce gibbon (audio)
: any of a genus (Hylobates of the family Hylobatidae) of agile brachiating tailless apes of southeastern Asia that are the smallest and most arboreal anthropoid apes

Illustration of gibbon

Illustration of gibbon

Examples of gibbon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Young explains that the swinging birds exerted as much force on their beaks as a swinging gibbon does on its arm, if not more. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024 First, early apes used their arms to swing through the trees like modern-day gibbons found in Asia do today. Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024 But Prime says researchers didn't know if skywalker gibbons existed in Myanmar until now because little research has been done on gibbons in general. Ailsa Chang, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 Silly love songs Skywalker gibbons can’t swim, so rivers often form natural boundaries for them. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 Although rhinos are the star attraction on park safaris, all sorts of animals live here, including tigers, elephants, gibbons, sloth bears, and a small number of endangered Ganges River dolphins. Margot Bigg, Travel + Leisure, 28 Jan. 2024 Cant was studying the locomotion of monkeys, gibbons, and orangutans for his research on the evolution of the primate musculoskeletal system. Karen Wright, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 There are shy animals, like the hermit crab, and outgoing animals, like the gibbon, shaking you down for your KIND bar in the rain forest. Colin Nissan, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 The park has held off on an expansion of its gibbon pen, a big project that would have given the playful primates more space, but would have also required taking out a loan. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gibbon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gibbon was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near gibbon

Cite this Entry

“Gibbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gibbon. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gibbon

noun
gib·​bon ˈgib-ən How to pronounce gibbon (audio)
: any of several tailless apes of southeastern Asia that are smaller and spend more time in trees than the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan

Biographical Definition

Gibbon

biographical name

Gib·​bon ˈgi-bən How to pronounce Gibbon (audio)
Edward 1737–1794 English historian
Gibbonesque adjective
or Gibbonian

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