hominid

hom·i·nid | \ ˈhä-mə-nəd

, -ˌnid \

plural hominids

Definition of hominid

(Entry 1 of 2)

: any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms and in some recent classifications the great apes (the orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo)

hominid

adjective

Definition of hominid (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, or being a member of a family (Hominidae) of erect, bipedal, primate mammals that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms and in some recent classifications the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan The discovery of a 3.5-million-year-old hominid skull and other fossil remains in northern Kenya is shaking the human family tree at its very roots.— Michael Balter

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Examples of hominid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun During much of the human journey from just another primate to world-conquering hominid, our four-legged pals have been right by our side. — Popular Science, "Did humans truly domesticate dogs? Canine history is more of a mystery than you think.," 10 Feb. 2020 Some 400,000 years ago, ancient hominids living in what is now Israel hunted down their meals and brought the remains back to a site known as Qesem Cave. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Prehistoric Deer Bones May Offer the Earliest Evidence of Ancient Food Storage," 11 Oct. 2019 According to a press release, DNA has been key in helping scientists map out the messy relationships between primates and hominids that lived within the past 50,000 years. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Scientists Now Know Where the Largest Primate to Ever Exist Sits in Primate Family Tree," 14 Nov. 2019 Makgadikgadi is littered with stone tools dropped there aeons ago by Palaeolithic hominids. — The Economist, "Where was Eden? Perhaps in a sun-baked salt plain in Botswana," 31 Oct. 2019 Which species of hominids, though, is not necessarily clear. — The Economist, "Where was Eden? Probably in a sun-baked salt plain in Botswana," 28 Oct. 2019 Here’s the thing, bands on tour tend to devolve into older models of hominid society. — Charlton Pettus, New York Times, "41 Days, 26 Shows, 10 Countries: A Rock Tour Diary," 16 Oct. 2019 Some fossilized skeletal remains of H. sapiens have features that are reminiscent of earlier hominids, and the genetic record of contemporary humans has also provided increasing fuel for discussion. — Gary Stix, Scientific American, "Traces of a Distant Past," 1 Nov. 2012 Back in 2003, the skeletal fragments of nine small hominids were found in the Liang Bua Cave on Flores, an Indonesian Island. — Fox News, "Prehistoric 'hobbit' mystery may have been solved," 4 Nov. 2019

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