chimp

IPA/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/
KK[tʃˈɪmp]IPA/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/

chimp — noun

1. an African ape that is smaller than a gorilla and known for being very clever

1.nounB1
Definition

an African ape that is smaller than a gorilla and known for being very clever

Example

At the zoo, Hao watched a chimp crack nuts with a stone.

chimp crack nuts with a stone

A young chimp clung to its mother as the group crossed the grass.

young chimp with its mother

Common collocations
  • baby chimp
  • wild chimp
  • chimp group
  • watch a chimp
Synonyms
  • chimpanzee

    the full and more formal name for the same animal

  • ape

    a broader group that also includes gorillas, orangutans, and humans

  • monkey

    a different animal group, usually with a tail, so not a true synonym

Usage Note

Chimp is the shorter, more informal everyday form of chimpanzee. It usually names either one animal or the species in general.

Common Mistakes

A chimp is a kind of monkey.
A chimp is an ape, not a monkey.
chimpanzees belong to the ape family and do not have the long tail that people often associate with monkeys.
The zoo has three chimp.
The zoo has three chimps.
in everyday English, the plural is usually 'chimps'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Chimp and chimpanzee name the same animal, but chimp is the shorter and more informal everyday word. Chimpanzee is the full form and is more common in formal writing, science, or careful description. Ape is a broader category word that includes chimpanzees as well as gorillas and orangutans, so it is less specific. Monkey is different again: many monkeys have tails, while chimpanzees are apes and do not. So you can say a chimp is an ape, but not that every ape is a chimp, and you should not use monkey as if it meant the same animal.

chimp ↗chimpanzee ↗ape ↗monkey ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • baby chimp
  • chimp group
  • pet chimp

Phrases

  • watch a chimp
  • study a chimp in the wild

Prepositions

  • chimp in the wild
  • chimp at the zoo

Etymology

Bantu languageEnglish

Chimp is a shortened form of chimpanzee. English first used chimpanzee after borrowing it from a central African Bantu language, and later everyday speech clipped the longer word to chimp for quicker informal use.

First known use

1877

1877, in the meaning defined above