chimpanzee

American  

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

noun

• chimpanzees
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chimpanzees
  plural

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

Explanation

Chimpanzees are one of our closest ape relatives, along with bonobos. In the wild, chimpanzees live in social family groups and swing from tree to tree using their long arms. As a human, you share 98.7 percent of your genes with chimpanzees, as well as a common ancestor. Known as chimps for short, these endangered primates have furry bodies and smooth, expressive faces. They're one of the few non-human animals that use tools, and in captivity have been taught basic sign language. Chimpanzee is from the Bantu word chimpenze, "ape."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chimpanzee chimpanzees

If you compare the smartest nonhuman animal, the chimpanzee, to what Mr. Lefebvre regards as the smartest bird, the New Caledonian crow, chimps emerge on top.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

After the split between human and chimpanzee lineages around 7 million years ago, early human ancestors followed a complex evolutionary path that eventually led to the emergence of Homo sapiens roughly 300,000 years ago.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 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

As part of the chimpanzee troop’s SSP recommendations the following year, Pu’iwa was allowed to mate with two females.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

Members of a closely related chimpanzee species, bonobos, usually live in more egalitarian groups dominated by female alliances.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

This carries on until the occasional, inevitable reckoning, when the same chimpanzees all panic and try to sell at the same time.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Human beings are chimpanzees, and are therefore pack animals, and the average IQ is 100, meaning half of all people have an IQ lower than 100.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

"Comparing bonobos and chimpanzees - our two closest relatives - offers fascinating insight into the evolutionary roots of social behaviour and how they, and we, manage tension, competition and cooperation," said Dr Jake Brooker.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

One of the most surprising findings was that chimpanzees, despite their reputation for aggression, engaged in close contact, including placing fingers in one another's mouths.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

This system seems to be restricted to human beings, since we are the only beings with language, although chimpanzees may have the capability of manipulating symbols with a certain syntax.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• ape
• baboon
• gorilla
• lemur
• orangutan