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

Giraffe : camelopardalis

giraffish

jə-ˈra-fish 

adjective

Illustration of giraffe

• giraffe 1

Examples of giraffe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Online, the Pink Frosted Animal Cookie Giraffe and White Frosted Animal Cookie Camel are both $32 while the Mini Bean lion, camel, and giraffe are all $10. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026

Feed a giraffe, touch sting rays and pose in front of lions. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 3 Mar. 2026

Auricular muscles enable species like dogs and giraffes to wiggle their ears and position them to better hear or localize sounds. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

Pancake is the nearly 6-foot giraffe calf. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2026

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