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

Primatologists have also traditionally written off gorilla feeding habits as less interesting than those of chimpanzees and orangutans, which have more varied diets and are avid tool users. —Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 10 June 2025

Female Sumatran orangutans can stand up to 4 feet tall and weigh as much as 150 pounds, while males can grow up to 6 feet and 250 pounds, according to the zoo’s website. —Max Levy, Denver Post, 30 May 2025

On March 10, Labu, a Sumatran orangutan, arrived at the San Diego Zoo from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan Program, according to an April 22 news release. —Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2025

What’s perhaps most interesting is how small differences in meat ingestion between chimpanzees and other great ape species such as gorillas and orangutans might be responsible for important behavioral distinctions observed between species. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Mar. 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