orangutan
noun
orang·u·tan
| \ ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ
, -ˈraŋ-gə-, -ˌtan
\
, -ˈraŋ-gə-, -ˌtan
\
Definition of orangutan
: a largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid ape (Pongo pygmaeus) of Borneo and Sumatra that is about ²/₃ as large as the gorilla and has brown skin, long sparse reddish-brown hair, and very long arms
Illustration of orangutan
Examples of orangutan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Borneo, an island that Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, is a biodiversity hotspot, and the last major refuge of orangutans. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Indonesia Plans to Build a New Capital on Borneo," 27 Aug. 2019 The thing was an obvious fake—it had been stitched together out of parts of an orangutan, a baboon, and some kind of salmon—but that was a minor matter. — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, "What P. T. Barnum Understood About America," 29 July 2019 Nenette is one of the last orangutans living in a zoo to be born out of captivity. — Washington Post, "Paris zoo gives orangutan Nenette a 50th birthday party," 16 June 2019 According to the World Wildlife Fund, areas the size of approximately 300 football fields are cleared each hour for palm oil production, with orangutans and Sumatran tigers at risk of extinction. — Olivia Fleming & Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Ultimate Guide to Clean Beauty," 12 Aug. 2019 And then there’s the sloth, the flamingo, the skunk, the orangutan, as well as a new yawning emoji. — BostonGlobe.com, "CVS begins human trials of home dialysis machine," 18 July 2019 The orphaned orangutans needed to return to the trees. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "School for Orphaned Baby Orangutans Helps the Young Primates Grow Up and Graduate to the Wild," 1 Aug. 2019 And then there's the sloth, the flamingo, the skunk, the orangutan, as well as a new yawning emoji. — Michelle Chapman, chicagotribune.com, "For World Emoji Day, Apple and Google release new emojis: sloth, yawning, diverse couples," 17 July 2019 Other new emojis include animals (a sloth, flamingo, skunk and orangutan), foods (waffle, falafel, butter and garlic) and gender-neutral characters, along with more professions and clothing types. — Amy Woodyatt, CNN, "Apple unveils disability-themed emojis in push for greater diversity," 17 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orangutan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for orangutan
orangutan
noun
English Language Learners Definition of orangutan
: a large ape that has very long arms and reddish-brown hair
See the full definition for orangutan in the English Language Learners Dictionary
orangutan
noun
orang·utan
| \ ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ
, -ËŒtan\
, -ËŒtan\
Kids Definition of orangutan
: a large ape of Borneo and Sumatra that lives in trees, eats mostly fruit, leaves, and other plant matter, and has very long arms, long reddish brown hair, and a nearly hairless face
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