Illustration of gibbon
: any of a family (Hylobatidae) of agile brachiating tailless apes of southeastern Asia that are the smallest and most arboreal anthropoid apes
Examples of gibbon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the Racine Zoo's longest-term residents — Yule, a male white-handed gibbon — has died.
—
Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024
More than 1 million people visit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden each year to see the hippos bob in and out of clear water, hear gibbons howl above the treetops, smell the elephants covered in dirt.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024
And although an earlier Scientific Reports study described female gibbons in China dancing to compete for male attention, the apes in this new study danced in a variety of contexts and even directed their performances toward human keepers.
—Phie Jacobs, science.org, 17 Sep. 2024
According to a recent article from conservation news site Mongabay, for every one gibbon that becomes a pet, seven are killed in the wild to acquire it.
—Megan Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gibbon 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024
More than 1 million people visit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden each year to see the hippos bob in and out of clear water, hear gibbons howl above the treetops, smell the elephants covered in dirt.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024
And although an earlier Scientific Reports study described female gibbons in China dancing to compete for male attention, the apes in this new study danced in a variety of contexts and even directed their performances toward human keepers.
—Phie Jacobs, science.org, 17 Sep. 2024
According to a recent article from conservation news site Mongabay, for every one gibbon that becomes a pet, seven are killed in the wild to acquire it.
—Megan Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gibbon
Dictionary Entries Near gibbon
Cite this Entry
“Gibbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gibbon. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gibbon
noun
gib·bon
ˈgib-ən 
: any of several tailless apes of southeastern Asia that are smaller and spend more time in trees than the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share