Illustration of orangutan
orangutan
noun
orang·u·tan
ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ 
-ˈraŋ-gə-,
-ˌtan
: any of several largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid apes (Pongo pygmaeus, P. abelii, and P. tapanuliensis) of Borneo and Sumatra that are about ²/₃ as large as the gorilla and have brown skin, long sparse reddish-brown hair, and very long arms
Examples of orangutan in a Sentence
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Being able to observe dissections of gorillas, orangutans and other animals from zoos, for example, gave Matternes an excellent grounding as a comparative anatomist who is able to build out the look of a creature from the bones to the skin.
—
Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025
The vine is rarely eaten by orangutans in that area.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
All that and an orangutan that loves to read on today’s episode of CNN 10.
Weekly News Quiz
What special tree connects Washington D.C. and Japan?
—CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
Trump sued Maher in 2013 for $5 million after Maher made a crass joke about Trump’s mother and an orangutan.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025
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Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025
The vine is rarely eaten by orangutans in that area.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
All that and an orangutan that loves to read on today’s episode of CNN 10.
Weekly News Quiz
What special tree connects Washington D.C. and Japan?
—CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
Trump sued Maher in 2013 for $5 million after Maher made a crass joke about Trump’s mother and an orangutan.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for orangutan
Cite this Entry
“Orangutan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orangutan. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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