orangutan

noun

orang·​u·​tan ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ 

-ˈraŋ-gə-, 

-ˌtan 

: any of several largely herbivorous arboreal great 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

Attenborough, pictured here with an orangutan and her baby at the London Zoo in April 1982, went on to narrate an entire documentary, Secret Lives of Orangutans, about the species for Netflix. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026

Building these rudimentary and temporary platforms—something modern gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees still do—would have offered protection from predators and blood-sucking insects. —Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

Similar bridges have been used by orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road. —ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026

Similar bridges have been used by orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest roads. —CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

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