great ape

noun

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of great ape

: any of several large primates (such as the orangutan, gorilla, or chimpanzee) that are either placed in the same family (Hominidae) as humans or are grouped in a separate family (Pongidae)

See great ape defined for English-language learners

See great ape defined for kids

Recent Examples of great ape from the Web

Research and work with Koko, and other gorillas, has revealed that great apes have language skills similar to small children.

— National Geographic, "Why Koko the Gorilla Mattered," 21 June 2018
Leo, whose full name was Leonel, was an integral part of one of the zoo’s great ape families that included three female gorillas: 22-year-old Nadiri, her 2-year-old daughter, Yola, and 16-year-old Akenji.

— christine clarridge, The Seattle Times, "40-year-old Leo the gorilla died of heart disease, says Woodland Park Zoo doc," 5 Apr. 2018
In addition to three species of orangutan, the other living species of great ape are western and eastern gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and, of course, humans.

— sean greene, latimes.com, "A rare great ape, a 130-foot-tall tree and an extinct marsupial lion make the Top 10 New Species list for 2018," 23 May 2018
Ashley Hammond, an expert on the evolution of locomotion in great apes and early humans, will take up the post on June 1.

— michael balter, Scientific American, "Leading Science Museum Turns the Page on a Prominent #MeToo Case," 21 May 2018
And this is the most endangered great ape in the world.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Meet the top 10 new species of 2018," 23 May 2018
Pongo tapanuliensis Pongo tapanuliensis is the most imperiled great ape in the world.

— sarah gray, Fortune, "A 62-Ton Tree and Great Ape Have Made the Top 10 New Species List," 23 May 2018
Thanks to greater capacity for language, this may be a common trait shared by hominins but probably not our last common ancestor with the other great apes.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Homo naledi’s brain: Like ours, but smaller," 14 May 2018
Most of the great apes in the study lived in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Gorillas more plentiful in Africa than thought, but population is still dropping," 26 Apr. 2018

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