gibbon

noun gib·bon \ ˈgi-bən \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of gibbon

: 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

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Recent Examples of gibbon from the Web

Back then, the attraction that brought in as many as 100,000 visitors each year featured hundreds of animals amid the tropical gardens including monkeys, gibbon, chimps, a dancing bear and more.

— richard tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Explore Florida's Indian River County: Lillies and bamboo star of McKee Botanical Gardens," 6 May 2018
And those complex sounds are limited to a relatively small group of species that includes songbirds, gibbons and bats.

— cleve r. wootson jr., chicagotribune.com, "Scientists discover a whale species' mating songs are as complex as jazz," 4 Apr. 2018
The animal had a short snout, similar to that of a gibbon but unlike other apes.

— mark barna, Discover Magazine, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," 1 Feb. 2018
On a recent Wednesday morning, Tristen Woods stood in a Kansas City TV studio in a crisp blue suit, cradling a squirmy white-cheeked gibbon against his chest.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Meet Tarzan: This KC lawman is a former model who fights for animal rights | The Kansas City Star," 22 Feb. 2018
Most apes, which include gorillas, gibbons, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos, live deep in the rain forest.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "Smuggled, Beaten and Drugged: The Illicit Global Ape Trade," 4 Nov. 2017
A year later, they were joined by 14 gibbons, but these apes, which typically swing through the canopies of Asian rainforests, didn’t take to the flat, small island.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Rescuing Puerto Rico's Monkey Island," 26 Sep. 2017
Scientists discovered the skywalker hoolock gibbons in eastern Myanmar and southwestern China.

— National Geographic, "New Species of Primate Is Named After ‘Star Wars’," 11 Jan. 2017
Although the fossil looks a bit like a gibbon skull on first blush, Nengo says, its dental pattern and teeth shape suggest its closest relatives are other Miocene fossil primates from the genus Nyanzapithecus, also found in Kenya.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Ancient infant ape skull sheds light on the ancestor of all humans and living apes," 9 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gibbon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.