ape

noun \ ˈāp \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Definition of ape

1 a : monkey; especially : one of the larger tailless or short-tailed Old World forms

b : any of various large tailless semi-erect primates of Africa and southeastern Asia (such as the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon) — called also anthropoid, anthropoid ape; compare great ape

2 a : mimic

b : a large uncouth person

—

apelike

play \ˈāp-ˌlīk\ adjective

See ape defined for English-language learners

See ape defined for kids

Examples of ape in a Sentence

Her boyfriend's some big ape she met at a party.

Recent Examples of ape from the Web

Such a curved surface would allow motion of that big toe—which modern apes use for grasping.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Toddler Was at Home on the Ground and in the Trees," 5 July 2018
To DeSilva, this suggests that juvenile Australopithecines clung to their parents much as baby apes do today, and probably could climb trees quickly.

— NBC News, "Baby feet: Toddler bones show pre-human kids scampered up trees," 4 July 2018
Today, no gibbons live anywhere near the Yangtze River gorges Li traversed, and the apes that remain elsewhere in China have fur patterns different from those often depicted in classical Chinese paintings.

— gretchen vogel, Science | AAAS, "Vanished ape found in ancient Chinese tomb, giving clues to its disappearance," 21 June 2018
Just one tweet calling a black person an ape can mark you persona non grata?

— nicole silverberg, GQ, "Op-Ed: An Intellectual's Defense of Roseanne," 30 May 2018
The apes spent up to 45 minutes at a time massaging the concoction onto their upper arms or legs.

— doug main, Scientific American, "Orangutans Use Plant Extracts to Treat Pain," 6 Apr. 2018
Barr’s demise followed a tweet that compared former President Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape.

— stephen battaglio, latimes.com, "'Roseanne' spinoff without Roseanne Barr was 'best option' after a bad break for ABC," 22 June 2018
Roseanne Barr comparing Valerie Jarrett, the black senior adviser to President Obama, to an ape.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "Roseanne Barr backtracks after racist comments about Obama adviser," 29 May 2018
But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size.

— joey morona, cleveland.com, "Movie Minute: 'Rampage' v. 'Truth or Dare' at the box office this weekend," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ape.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ape

Middle English, from Old English apa; akin to Old High German affo ape

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First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

ape

verb

Definition of ape

aped; aping

transitive verb

: to copy closely but often clumsily and ineptly

—

aper

noun

See ape defined for English-language learners

Examples of ape in a Sentence

She apes the speech and manners of the rich.
was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent

Recent Examples of ape from the Web

And Mr Ortega is aping the repression of the Somozas.

— The Economist, "Daniel Ortega is causing a bloodbath in Nicaragua," 12 July 2018
Lumberjacks and the hipster bartenders who ape their style have long favored Pendleton’s flannel overshirts.

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "When It’s Super-Hot, This is Your Workwear Solution," 21 June 2018
Many of its propaganda tools merely aped the sorts of chauvinist and ethno-nationalist sentiment that Mr Trump and other right-wing politicians have long used to charge up their base.

— The Economist, "The Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki," 5 July 2018
Facebook’s tendency to ape competing products can be a major threat to smaller companies; Snapchat’s recent troubles have been attributed in part to Facebook copying many of its features.

— bloomberg, Fortune, "Tinder's Parent Company Is Buying an Anti-Tinder Dating App," 21 June 2018
Director and co-writer Gary Ross follows familiar story beats and attempts, unsuccessfully, to ape Soderbergh’s filmmaking style.

— lindsey bahr, kansascity, "‘Ocean’s 8’ cruises through familiar waters with its talented all-star cast," 7 June 2018
Initially, this dearth of new ideas isn’t so egregious; plenty of stories have aped Blade Runner for slick, sci-fi thrills and still managed to be insightful or at least entertaining.

— andrew webster, The Verge, "Detroit: Become Human review: a beautiful vision of the future gets stuck in the past," 24 May 2018
Simon Cowell came onstage along with a young woman aping a ventriloquist version of him.

— rani molla, Recode, "The network TV upfronts, explained by a millennial," 14 May 2018
During a time when too many rock bands aped Nirvana’s and Pearl Jam’s styles, whining through their bad Eddie Vedder impressions to land a lucrative hit, the sound of marimba echoing under soft, breezy symphonies offered a welcome counterpoint.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Finding the Soundtrack to My Desert Life," 25 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of ape

1632

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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ape Synonyms

Synonyms

copy, copycat, emulate, imitate, mime, mimic;

Related Words

ditto, echo, reecho, repeat;

burlesque, caricature, lampoon, mock, parody, travesty;

impersonate, perform, play;

pantomime;

Synonym Discussion of ape

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing. copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

- copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

- imitate a poet's style

mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

- pupils mimicking their teacher

ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

- American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

mock usually implies imitation with derision.

- mocking a vain man's pompous manner

ape

adjective

Definition of ape

: crazy, wild —usually used in the phrase go ape

See ape defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of ape from the Web

The park consulted with the Center for Great Apes, a non-profit great-ape sanctuary in Central Florida, to move Mei for surgery.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Monkey Jungle has reopened. Here is what has happened since the animal-abuse allegations.," 12 July 2018
Jungers holds open the possibility that the Shangchen toolmaker was a species of Australopithecus, a group of more ape-like hominins to which the iconic fossil Lucy belongs.

— colin barras, Scientific American, "Tools from China are Oldest Hint of Human Lineage Outside Africa," 11 July 2018
That event will also raise money for the ape sanctuaries.

— johnny diaz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Michael Jackson's pet chimp Bubbles and other celebrity apes will have art exhibit in Miami," 19 June 2018
Barr also used an ape reference in a past tweet about Susan Rice, former President Obama’s National Security Adviser and — like Jarrett — an African-American woman.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why Roseanne Barr and Samantha Bee's slurs were shameful, but not equal," 1 June 2018
But the bikers come anyway, astride choppers and ape hangers, V-Twins shaking the wet pavement, and a rope or two hanging off handlebars—to whip cars that get too close.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Beer and Bikes in the Black Forest—And All for a Good Cause," 31 May 2018
The two watched acrobats in black body suits and ape ears — a nod to Kubrick’s film — swivel on a display in front of a re-creation of the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz joint mission.

— sopan deb, New York Times, "Night at the Space Museum: 10 Open Bars and Tons of Kubrick References," 8 Apr. 2018
The world governing body FIFA is already investigating ape noises heard during a warmup friendly against France in Saint Petersburg last month.

— dmitry zaks, chicagotribune.com, "Spartak Moscow handed stadium ban for racist behavior," 25 Apr. 2018
The first part of the movie shows an alien artifact—a black monolith—that appears in the world of our ape ancestors, and starts the process that leads to modern civilization.

— stephen wolfram, WIRED, "2001: A Space Odyssey Predicted The Future—50 Years Ago," 3 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of ape

1955

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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APE Defined for English Language Learners

ape

noun

Definition of ape for English Language Learners

: a type of animal (such as a chimpanzee or gorilla) that is closely related to monkeys and humans and that is covered in hair and has no tail or a very short tail
: a large and stupid or rude person

ape

verb

Definition of ape for English Language Learners

: to copy or imitate (something or someone)

APE Defined for Kids

ape

noun \ ˈāp \

Definition of ape for Students

: any of a group of tailless animals (as gorillas or chimpanzees) that are primates most closely related to humans

—

apelike

\ˈāp-ˌlīk\ adjective

ape

verb

Definition of ape for Students

aped; aping

: to imitate (someone) awkwardly

He apes the styles of his favorite actor.

Medical Dictionary

ape

noun \ ˈāp \

medical Definition of ape

1 : monkey; especially : one of the larger tailless or short-tailed Old World forms

2 : any of the large tailless semierect primates of Africa and southeastern Asia (as the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon) — called also anthropoid, anthropoid ape