Illustration of giraffe
- giraffe 1
plural giraffes
1
or plural giraffe
: a large fleet African ruminant mammal (Giraffa camelopardalis) that is the tallest of living quadrupeds and has a very long neck and a short coat with dark blotches separated by pale lines
2
capitalized
: camelopardalis
Examples of giraffe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It was cleaned and treated, and the giraffe is expected to make a full recovery, rescuers said.
—
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Henry is the zoo’s tallest giraffe, according to a news release introducing the calf.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025
Further, Joel and Ellie watch a herd of giraffes in Salt Lake City in the game.
—Jessica Sager, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025
An international team of researchers made this surprising discovery by sequencing plant and bacterial DNA found in faecal samples collected from three wild giraffe species, the reticulated giraffe, the Masai giraffe and the northern giraffe, living around the equator in Kenya (Figure 1).
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for giraffe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Henry is the zoo’s tallest giraffe, according to a news release introducing the calf.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025
Further, Joel and Ellie watch a herd of giraffes in Salt Lake City in the game.
—Jessica Sager, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025
An international team of researchers made this surprising discovery by sequencing plant and bacterial DNA found in faecal samples collected from three wild giraffe species, the reticulated giraffe, the Masai giraffe and the northern giraffe, living around the equator in Kenya (Figure 1).
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for giraffe
Cite this Entry
“Giraffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giraffe. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
giraffe
noun
gi·raffe
ˈjə-ˈraf 
plural giraffes or giraffe
: a large swift cud-chewing spotted African mammal with a very long neck that is the tallest of living four-footed animals
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share