chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee (ˌ)chim-ˌpan-ˈzē 

-pən-ˈzē,

-ˈpan-zē 

 sometimes  (ˌ)shim-

: an anthropoid ape (Pan troglodytes) of equatorial Africa that is smaller and more arboreal than the gorilla compare bonobo

Illustration of chimpanzee

Examples of chimpanzee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team behind the research noted that many of these genes are tied to developmental delay, which may have played a role in the slower pace of postnatal brain growth in humans compared to chimpanzees. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

The chimpanzee behavior Goodall saw up close and recorded turned science on its head. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025

On the natural history side, two-part doc Matriarch (working title) tells the story of a 54-year-old alpha-female chimpanzee, while Kingdom is a six-parter filmed over four years in a single Zambian river valley. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025

Once the fires have swept through, the chimpanzees have their pick of cooked critters on a charred landscape cleared of predators, just like the baboons in the forests of Uganda who have been seen foraging for cooked grasshoppers and shoots after fire passes by. —Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Kongo dialect chimpenzi

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chimpanzee

• pygmy chimpanzee

Rhymes for chimpanzee

• mansi
• pansy
• tansy

Kids Definition

chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee ˌchim-ˌpan-ˈzē  ˌshim- 

chim-ˈpan-zē,

shim-

: an African ape that is related to the gorilla but is smaller and spends more of its time in trees

Medical Definition

chimpanzee

noun

chim·​pan·​zee ˌchim-ˌpan-ˈzē  ˌshim- 

-pən-; chim-ˈpan-zē,

shim-

: an anthropoid ape of the genus Pan (P. troglodytes) found in equatorial Africa that is smaller and more arboreal than the gorilla see bonobo