chimpanzee

American  

[chim-pan-zee, chim-pan-zee] / ˌtʃɪm pænˈzi, tʃɪmˈpæn zi /

noun

1. a very social great ape of sub-Saharan Africa, belonging to the genus Pan and having a brown-to-black coat, a relatively hairless face with a rounded muzzle, prominent ears, and hands adapted for knuckle-walking, and noted for its intelligence and humanlike behavior: both species, the common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes ) and the bonobo (P. paniscus ), are greatly reduced in number and considered endangered.

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chimpanzee British  

/ ˌtʃɪmpænˈziː /

noun

1. a gregarious and intelligent anthropoid ape, Pan troglodytes, inhabiting forests in central W Africa

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Etymology

Origin of chimpanzee

First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain; possibly from Vili , a Bantu language spoken on the Atlantic coast between southern Gabon and northern Angola

Compare meaning

How does chimpanzee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• orangutan vs. chimpanzee

Example Sentences

In captivity, at least one chimpanzee appeared to drag imaginary blocks across the floor after playing with real wooden ones.

From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026

Ai, a female chimpanzee famous for her cognitive skills has died at 49, according to the Japanese institute where she lived.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

There again, maybe the laugh is on the rest of us, because these folks are still pulling down the big bucks, even after their predictions worked out worse than the proverbial blindfolded chimpanzee throwing darts.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 26, 2025

Two weeks later, chimpanzee Vindi, an 18-year-old first-time mom, delivered a healthy female infant.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

A strain of simian aids virus was recently isolated from a chimpanzee in Gabon, in West Africa, which is, so far, the closest thing to hiv-i that anyone has yet found in the animal kingdom.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• ape
• baboon
• gorilla
• lemur
• orangutan