giraffe
Americannoun
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a tall, long-necked, spotted ruminant, Giraffa camelopardalis, of Africa: the tallest living quadruped animal.
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Astronomy. Giraffe, the constellation Camelopardalis.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of giraffe
First recorded in 1585–95; from French girafe, from Italian giraffa, from dialectal Arabic zirāfah; further origin uncertain
Explanation
A giraffe is an extremely tall animal with a very long neck. You can't miss the giraffes at the zoo, because they tower above all the other animals. Giraffes are the tallest living animals on land, the very largest of them being three times taller than an average human. The name giraffe can be traced back to the Arabic zarafa and is thought to be rooted in an African language. An earlier English name for these African ungulates was camelopard, from their similarities to camels (four legs, long neck) and leopards (spots).
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On the lam in Texas: Gracie the giraffe.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
As the animal grew from dog sized to horse sized to giraffe sized and eventually to enormous proportions, its place in the ecosystem shifted at each stage.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
Daniel Chiaberta zips through the crowds at the FAO Schwarz toy store in Midtown Manhattan, pointing out giant giraffe plush toys, luxury teddy bears and scented slime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
His daughter’s safari-themed nursery was lined with custom giraffe wallpaper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
Well, suppose you observe a pride of lions take down and devour a giraffe.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
A puma named Muluk seemed sure that South Korea will triumph against the Czech Republic, and six giraffes hedged their bets with the Democratic Republic of Congo over Colombia.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
Patterns resembling Voronoi diagrams can often be seen in nature, including the markings on giraffes.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
“Think how you’ll grieve for all you’ll leave behind,” she sings to a herd of otters, koalas, flamingos, giraffes, bunnies and kangaroos fleeing Oz for the safety of the Yellow Brick Underground Railroad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
There are giraffes, elephants and dinosaurs, but none is animatronic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Don’t tell anyone from France,” Mia would begin, before whispering a secret, and Warren’s reply was always, “Wild giraffes couldn’t drag it out of me.”
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
