giraffe

noun gi·raffe \ jə-ˈraf \

Definition of giraffe

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

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giraffish

play \jə-ˈra-fish\ adjective

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Recent Examples of giraffe from the Web

Seeing elephants and giraffes lumber across a dry African landscape — even on TV — was in stark contrast to my suburban wildlife encounters that entailed red robins and gray squirrels hopping across manicured green lawns.

— eric vohr, chicagotribune.com, "Sparsely populated Namibia delivers lots of surprises for safari-goers," 16 Aug. 2017
On the main drag, Trump’s club leads to the local library, a red brick building with a garden and giraffe sculpture in the back, a few pizza places, a deli, some gas stations, and florists.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Fear and Loathing in Bedminster: On the Ground in the Quiet, Bucolic Town Where Donald Trump Is Toying with Blowing Up the World," 10 Aug. 2017
Armed with a Home Depot 5-gallon bucket and a drill, one zookeeper made a foraging bucket for giraffe Jabari.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "What keeps Zoo Boise’s lions purring? Blood popsicles and Victoria’s Secret perfume," 2 Aug. 2017
Yesterday’s drop included a polar bear wearing a Bernie/Balenciaga tee, and a giraffe in a classic black logo shirt.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Console Yourself About Colette’s Closing With Balenciaga Stuffed Animals," 25 July 2017
The carousel includes 31 horses and 21 other animals, including a lion, tiger, giraffe, reindeer, zebra, four ostriches, four boars, four cats and four rabbits.

— chris sikich, Indianapolis Star, "Carmel mayor plans a $101 million building spree, including a carousel," 17 July 2017
From the common barn swallow to the exotic giraffe, thousands of animal species are in precipitous decline, a sign that an irreversible era of mass extinction is underway, new research finds.

— tatiana schlossberg, New York Times, "Era of ‘Biological Annihilation’ Is Underway, Scientists Warn," 11 July 2017
The project’s focus is the reticulated giraffe, named after its geometrically striking orange-and-white coat.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How you can lift a finger to help the San Diego Zoo save giraffes," 7 July 2017
Cut the edges of makeup sponges to create stamps for your giraffe spots.

— brooke shunatona, Cosmopolitan, "11 Halloween Looks You Can Create With Makeup You Already Have," 30 June 2017

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