giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe jə-ˈraf 

plural giraffes

1

or plural giraffe : a large fleet African ruminant mammal (Giraffa camelopardalis) that is the tallest of living quadrupeds and has a very long neck and a short coat with dark blotches separated by pale lines

2

capitalized : camelopardalis

giraffish

jə-ˈra-fish 

adjective

Illustration of giraffe

• giraffe 1

Examples of giraffe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Think giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, impalas, and many more. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025

Inside his studio, there lives a menagerie of creations: A silver giraffe stands watch over a half-dozen exuberantly colored birds hanging from the ceiling. —Katherine Schulten, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Join us in welcoming the area's newest not-so-little bundle of joy: A currently unnamed baby girl giraffe clocking in at 58 kilograms and 6 feet. —Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025

Among them were life-sized balloon replicas of horses, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses and cheetahs. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian giraffa, from Arabic zirāfa

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing giraffe

• reticulated giraffe

Rhymes for giraffe

• behalf
• carafe
• digraph
• distaff
• falstaff
• subgraph
• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph

Kids Definition

giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe ˈjə-ˈraf 

plural giraffes or giraffe

: a large swift cud-chewing spotted African mammal with a very long neck that is the tallest of living four-footed animals