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

But the study, which involved 20 captive chimpanzees at the Kumamoto Sanctuary at Kyoto University, does suggest that when one chimp urinates, others urinate too. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025

Though the study only included captive chimpanzees, researchers suspect contagious urination probably exists in the wild, too. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025

Onishi and her colleagues studied 20 chimpanzees, mostly males, that lived in four groups in Kyoto University’s Kumamoto Sanctuary between 2019 and 2021. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2025

As well as chimpanzees, baboons, apes, and primates in general. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Kongo dialect chimpenzi

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chimpanzee

• pygmy chimpanzee

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