giraffe

noun

gi·​raffe jə-ˈraf How to pronounce giraffe (audio)
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 adjective

Illustration of giraffe

Illustration of giraffe
  • giraffe 1

Examples of giraffe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The remarkable herd of resident giraffes roams the surrounding sanctuary and provides guests with unique, once-in-a-lifetime encounters over breakfast and afternoon tea when they can be fed by hand. Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025 Season 2 opens with a tower of giraffes (yep, that’s what a group is called) strolling through a graveyard of the Firelies Joel (Pedro Pascal) cut down in the Salt Lake City hospital where Ellie (Bella Ramsey) was about to be sacrificed in the hopes of a cure for the cordyceps infection. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Her new venture sits amid the Soutpansberg Mountains, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that’s home to wildlife including giraffes, leopards, and the endangered pangolin. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2025 Akagera National Park, the largest wetland in Africa, has experienced a growth in the animal population due to conservation repopulation efforts including the reintroduction of lions, black rhinos, white rhinos, elephants and Masai giraffes and the elimination of poaching. Laurie Werner, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for giraffe

Word History

Etymology

Italian giraffa, from Arabic zirāfa

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of giraffe was circa 1600

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Cite this Entry

“Giraffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giraffe. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

giraffe

noun
gi·​raffe ˈjə-ˈraf How to pronounce giraffe (audio)
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

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