Definition of giraffe
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
Read the Latest from M-W
Recent Examples of giraffe from the Web
-
Animal lovers will have a new way to check out the cheetahs, giraffes, tortoises and snakes at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens this summer.
-
Six-year-old Ernie, a Masai giraffe, was brought to Lehigh Valley Zoo from the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri last week along with his 16-year-old father, Murphy, as part of a $3.8 million expansion of the Schnecksville zoo’s African animals exhibit.
-
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Feed a giraffe, build a sand castle, take a train ride through a national park – and that’s just for starters.
-
Besides giraffes, the African exhibit will include a lion, hyrax, wildebeest and tortoise.
-
Even though naturalists have long-recognized that male giraffes often swing their necks to batter each other with their stout ossicones –
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.
Illustration of giraffe
Origin and Etymology of giraffe
Italian giraffa, from Arabic zirāfa
GIRAFFE Defined for English Language Learners
giraffe
playDefinition of giraffe for English Language Learners
-
: a very tall African animal that has an extremely long neck and legs
GIRAFFE Defined for Kids
giraffe
playDefinition of giraffe for Students
: a spotted mammal of Africa with a very long neck that feeds mostly on the leaves of trees and is the tallest of living animals on land
Learn More about giraffe
-
Spanish Central: Translation of giraffe Nglish: Translation of giraffe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of giraffe for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about giraffe
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up giraffe? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!