ape

1 of 3

verb

aped; aping

transitive verb

: to copy closely but often clumsily and ineptly

aper noun

aper

2 of 3

noun (1)

ap·​er

ˈā-pər

plural -s

: one that apes

apers of the nobility

aper

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈä-pər, 

ˈā-

plural -s

: the European wild boar

Synonyms of ape

Verb

• imitate
• emulate
• copy
• mimic
• mock
• mime

Choose the Right Synonym for 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, unoriginal, 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

Examples of ape in a Sentence

Verb

She apes the speech and manners of the rich.

was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For Shorts, the label will appear as a small overlay at the bottom of the video itself, although that will add to the already cluttered look of the TikTok-aping Shorts. —ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026

The hockey-centric romance has been compared to HBO Max hit Heated Rivalry, possibly as an attempt to ape that series’ huge success, but this was in development before that show became a huge hit. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

But if getting Andy back in the Runway fold feels a lot like getting her into it in the first film, that feeling will only persist, as the sequel apes the original feature nearly beat for beat, with some small swaps here and there. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026

There’s a word for this type of storytelling, and Taccone deserves credit for delivering a superior version of this without outright aping its most famous practitioner. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Latin; akin to Old English eofor wild boar, Old Saxon eƀur, Old High German ebur, Old Norse jöfurr prince, chieftain, Umbrian apruf, abrof wild boar (accusative plural), Old Slavic veprĭ, Lithuanian vepris

First Known Use

Verb

1634, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ape

• anthropoid ape
• ape-man
• Barbary ape
• go ape
• great ape
• man ape

Rhymes for ape

• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape
• gape
• grape
• pape
• rape
• scape
• scrape
• shape
• snape

Kids Definition

ape

1 of 2 noun

ˈāp 

1

a

: monkey entry 1 sense 1

especially : one of the larger tailless or short-tailed forms

b

: any of two families of large primates including the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and gibbon

2

: mimic entry 3 sense 1

3

: a large uncouth person

ape

2 of 2 verb

aped; aping

: to copy closely but often clumsily

aper noun

Medical Definition

ape

noun

ˈāp 

1

: any of various larger tailless semi-erect primates of Africa and southeastern Asia (such as the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon)

called also anthropoid, anthropoid ape

2

: monkey

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

—not used technically