chimp
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of chimp
First recorded in 1875–80; by shortening
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.
The chimp war study went viral for a variety of reasons, not least of them the lurid spectacle of a species other than our own committing despicable acts.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
The two groups had no remaining social or reproductive ties between them; the last chimp infant with parents from different groups was born in 2015.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
On a recent morning, Mike, a charismatic, middle-aged chimp, ambled along the savannah floor, baobab fruit dangling by a stem from his mouth -- a snack for later -- as Sadiakhou watched.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
The chimp she later named David Graybeard had been using the stalk to fish for the bugs.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence, Jules. You know, a once-in-a-trillion kind of thing, like that old saying about the chimp and the typewriter. Give him long enough and he’ll write a novel.”
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
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.
