baboon
Americannoun
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baboons
plural
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any of various large, terrestrial monkeys of the genus Papio and related genera, of Africa and Arabia, having a doglike muzzle, large cheek pouches, and a short tail.
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a coarse, ridiculous, or brutish person, especially one of low intelligence.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Nouns
Etymology
Origin of baboon
1275–1325; Middle English baboyne, babewyn grotesque figure, gargoyle, late Middle English: baboon (compare Anglo-Latin babevynus ) < Middle French babouin, akin to babine pendulous lip, derivative of an expressive base *bab- grimace
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Explanation
A baboon is a type of African monkey. Baboons have long snouts that resemble dogs' muzzles. Baboons have thick fur, short tails, and prominent noses. They are ground-dwelling monkeys, and in the wild they form complex families and groups with higher- and lower-ranking members. If you visit a zoo with a primate area, you'll probably see baboons. The Old French word for baboon is baboin, or "ape," which might come from baboue, "muzzle" or "grimace."
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:
Indeed, the Jane Goodall Institute now runs a longstanding baboon research project based partly on the fact that baboons are important chimpanzee prey.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2025
“They were showing Ridley the baboon because it was an interesting anatomical structure,” Bakowski recalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
In this study, the researchers examined a collection of baboon mummies from the ancient Egyptian site of Gabbanat el-Qurud, the so-called Valley of the Monkeys on the west bank of Luxor.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 6, 2023
In 1984 an infant known as Baby Fae received a baboon heart and lived for three weeks before her immune system rejected the organ.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 19, 2023
She listened to the baboon troop returning to their sleeping cliff.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Living in nomadic groups, the men use handmade bows and arrows to hunt Cape buffalo, baboons and the rodent-like hyrax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Indeed, the Jane Goodall Institute now runs a longstanding baboon research project based partly on the fact that baboons are important chimpanzee prey.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2025
Overcrowding had caused an "increase in conflicts" between the baboons and no alternative for re-housing them could be found, the zoo said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2025
Giraffes have roughly the same number of neurons that crows and baboons have, Holtz pointed out, but they don’t use tools or display complex social behavior in the way those species do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
They brought along a large number of guinea pigs, traveling in boxes, and seventeen monkeys in cages, including baboons, Sykes’ monkeys, and African green monkeys.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
