ape

noun \ ˈāp \

Updated on: 19 Apr 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

That’s where George lives and hangs out with Davis Okoye (Johnson), a loving primatologist who carries on conversations with the ape (performed in motion capture by Jason Liles) in sign language all day.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Rampage Is a Big, Noisy Nothing," 13 Apr. 2018
Among other things, the habitat houses apes orphaned by poachers.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Rampage is laughably dumb, but at least there’s plenty of rampaging," 11 Apr. 2018
Johnson is trying to save the world from a giant ape, a giant flying wolf and a giant alligator, after all.

— bill goodykoontz, azcentral, "'Rampage' is so bad, you don't even need a brain to watch it," 11 Apr. 2018
There's also debate about why the omnivorous apes hunt at all, considering meat isn't a diet staple.

— National Geographic, "Chimps Eat Baby Monkey Brains First—A Clue to Human Evolution," 11 Apr. 2018
O'Higgins is also interested in studying the origins of sociality by studying muscular anatomy and function in apes and humans.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "This could be why our eyebrows evolved," 9 Apr. 2018
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed an industrial wasteland spotted by neon Prada signs — a cartoon ape, hanging by one arm; a bunch of bananas; a stegosaurus — and the floor had been polished to a dark mirror, creating a vertiginous disorientation.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "At Fendi and Prada, Moving Beyond the Shoulder Pad," 23 Feb. 2018
The censorship is a safety feature to prevent repeats of a 2015 incident in which the service mistook photos of black people for apes.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "How Coders Are Fighting Bias in Facial Recognition Software," 29 Mar. 2018
Old World monkeys, apes and hominins — the branch of the ape family tree that includes humans — inherited that ancestor’s ability to see red, particularly against a green background.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Pigment of Our Imagination," 23 Mar. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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

Yet, in a Republican primary that’s seemed to be a contest as to who can be the Trumpiest, Braun has joined his opponents in aping some of Trump’s staunchest viewpoints.

— robert king, Indianapolis Star, "Mike Braun, a Republican Senate candidate, brings casual attire but serious business credentials," 12 Apr. 2018
The question now is just how many copycat shows will spring up at other networks, in an attempt to ape the Roseanne revival’s success.

— yohana desta, HWD, "How ABC Scrambled to Capture Trump Voters—and Landed on Roseanne," 30 Mar. 2018
On Sunday, John Oliver announced that staff writer _Jill Twiss and illustrator EG Keller had penned a picture book that purposefully apes the Pence family’s own children’s book about their bunny, Marlon Bundo.

— yohana desta, HWD, "John Oliver’s Pence-Trolling Gay-Bunny Book Sold 180,000 Copies in Two Days," 21 Mar. 2018
Then in September of last year, Fortnite added a second mode that shamelessly aped Battlegrounds, called it Fortnite: Battle Royale.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "Fortnite Is the Unstoppable Free Game You Should Be Playing Right Now," 10 Mar. 2018
More mainstream politicians on the center-right are aping Le Pen’s brand of identity politics.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "Trump’s GOP is morphing into France’s far right," 23 Feb. 2018
Rose and Morris wound up using six different angles, with one that aped the back cover photo from the album as a mirror image.

— gary graff, Billboard, "Lucy Rose Shares Unvarnished 'All That Fear' Video: Premiere," 1 Mar. 2018
Chevy already teased the truck in Texas, showing a sleeker rig with tiny LED slashes for headlights and creased body panels that ape a sports sedan more than the boxy aesthetic typical to the class.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "Detroit’s Auto Show Goes Big," 11 Jan. 2018
Why ape the New York convention of piecing bits of street names and directionals into case-sensitive monstrosities?

— wendy mcclure, Chicago Reader, "Chicago is a city of objectionable nicknames," 21 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of ape

1632

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

Old World monkeys, apes and hominins — the branch of the ape family tree that includes humans — inherited that ancestor’s ability to see red, particularly against a green background.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Pigment of Our Imagination," 23 Mar. 2018
Just ten years ago, Power says, the scientific community knew virtually nothing about ape milk, let alone the milk of dozens of other exotic mammals whose samples now dominate the repository freezer.

— zoe sayler, Smithsonian, "What Aardvark Milk Reveals about the Evolution of Lactation," 21 Mar. 2018
But Hanuman is also the name of a monkey (not ape) deity featured in Hindu society, and star of an epic poem that has some oblique overlap with one of the storylines in the film.

— ellen mcgirt, Fortune, "raceAhead: Why Diversity Efforts Fail," 2 Mar. 2018
With a plot that has plenty of fighting but not overburdened by it, characters—ape and human alike— shine through creating another compelling entry into the ever-growing Apes franchise.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Sci-Fi Films of the Year," 20 Dec. 2017
Oldman plays a human leader who is suspicious of the burgeoning ape society in the middle chapter of this prequel series.

— cleveland.com, "Before 'Darkest Hour,' Gary Oldman's 15 best performances," 22 Dec. 2017
So in that case, that is actually much more leaning on the sounds of real ape recordings.

— cristy lytal, latimes.com, "'Apes' sound designers know how to 'sneak' emotion into the moviegoing experience," 21 Dec. 2017
Or at least some of us have: One faction of survivors is working toward a cure for the virus, opening the way to ape-human accord.

— dana stevens, Slate Magazine, "War for the Planet of the Apes," 11 July 2017
For one, David Begun, anthropologist at the University of Toronto in Canada argues that human and ape ancestors evolved in Europe before moving into Africa.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Is This Baby Animal the Last Common Ancestor of Humans and Apes?," 10 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of ape

1955

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