orangutan
Americannoun
-
orangutans
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of orangutan
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Dutch orang outang, apparently from Malay: literally, “forest man” ( Malay orang “man, person” + (h)utan “forest”
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How does orangutan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Orangutans are primates with red fur, and they're also the largest animals that live mostly in trees. You may have seen orangutans at the zoo, swinging from branch to branch using their long arms. Orangutans are distinctive animals, with their shaggy hair, short legs, and long, agile arms. These intelligent primates are native to Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests, and just like those ecosystems, orangutans are endangered. Their name is derived from the Malay orang utan, "man of the forest," and it's especially fitting that we now know orangutans share more than 96 percent of their genes with humans.
Vocabulary lists containing orangutan
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.
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An orangutan mom doesn’t have a partner to make dinner or put on a dress for—orangutans live mostly alone—but she does handle all the homemaking and childcare herself.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Until recently, his only comfort was a large orangutan plush toy that some brilliant member of staff gifted him as a tool for muscle building and maternal replacement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy were widely shared on X.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
After the vessel transporting his family from India to Canada sinks, Pi escapes to a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger—and his situation gets more complicated with each passing day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Another gesture and a burst of light changed the orangutan into Grandpa Sorenson.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans all produce laughter, but scientists have long wondered how those vocalizations changed over millions of years and whether they could reveal anything about the origins of human language.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Today there are more than 800–roughly the population of Tapanuli orangutans or wild Bactrian camels, but it’s too late to change metaphors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The sample included gorillas, orangutans, macaques, colobus monkeys, fossil apes and more.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
He previously worked in the conservation of the Tapanuli orangutans.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
And this is what the orangutans looked like.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
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.
