orangutan

noun

orang·​u·​tan ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ 

-ˈraŋ-gə-,

-ˌtan 

: any of several largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid apes (Pongo pygmaeus, P. abelii, and P. tapanuliensis) of Borneo and Sumatra that are about ²/₃ as large as the gorilla and have brown skin, long sparse reddish-brown hair, and very long arms

Illustration of orangutan

Examples of orangutan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Male Sumatran orangutans have a median life expectancy of about 25 years, according to zoo staff. —Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2025

The 40-acre facility has among its list of roughly 1,600 critters, penguins, binturongs, sharks, dingoes, Flemish giant rabbits, servals, tree frogs, capuchin monkeys, moon jellyfish, pythons and orangutans. —Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 10 July 2025

In other words, the energy available to orangutans and gorillas may not be sufficient to support greater levels of activity and social behavior—and meat might be to blame. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025

Epic story of perseverance and hope follows a 16-year-old boy who is shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Bazaar Malay (Malay-based pidgin), from Malay orang man + hutan forest

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

orangutan

noun

orang·​utan

ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ,

-ˌtan

: a large anthropoid ape of Borneo and Sumatra that is about ⅔ as large as a gorilla, eats mostly plants, lives in trees, and has very long arms, long thin reddish brown hair, and a nearly hairless face