as in to imitate
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in nuclear
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in aper
Related Words
2
as in anthropoid
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ape
The Economist, 16 May 2020
Walking upright on two legs is considered a human trait that separates us from our ape relatives, like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2020
Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
That monicker presumably comes from the fact that like the legendary ape, the camera has a big footprint.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Shooter aped Marvel Comics’ writing style, bringing a measure of 1960s cool to the more uptight comics that National put out.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ape
Verb
But now the world’s gorillas, and also their great-ape cousins, the chimpanzees, bonobos and orang-utans, face another threat from their human neighbours: covid-19.
—The Economist, 16 May 2020
Walking upright on two legs is considered a human trait that separates us from our ape relatives, like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2020
Adjective
Various ape tribes fight for dominance, while human history has largely become the stuff of lore.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
That monicker presumably comes from the fact that like the legendary ape, the camera has a big footprint.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
Newsom aping Donald Trump’s syntax on social media, and setting up a special election to zap five Republicans out of their House seats.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Shooter aped Marvel Comics’ writing style, bringing a measure of 1960s cool to the more uptight comics that National put out.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ape
Verb
-
Some will welcome it; there is certainly an argument that the attempts to imitate Guardiola’s style, playing from the back against high-class opponents with a plan to press them into mistakes, led to some coaches leading their teams like lambs to the slaughter.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
In an instance of art imitating life, the film's soundtrack also achieved great success as the highest-debuting soundtrack of 2025 on the Billboard 200.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the first five months of the war, Israel dropped more than 25,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, which, the UN noted in a 2024 report, is equivalent to two nuclear bombs.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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Then, in Game 4, Ohtani went nuclear, going 3-for-3 with three home runs while also pitching six shutout innings.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That the officiant would be a giant anthropoid jar of mayo named Manny Mayo was actually too good to be true.—
Heather Schroering,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
6 Aug. 2025
-
By never breaking the anthropoid conceit — keeping Williams a chimp from working-class childhood obscurity to adult pop-stardom — Better Man evolves into the most honest and exploratory showbiz movie ever made.—
Armond White,
National Review,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Bell remembers Allen borrowing her VHS tapes of Michael Jackson and trying to emulate his moves.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Oct. 2025
-
From past to present, Brandy remains a style icon worth emulating.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Rideshare posers have also allegedly raped passengers.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Aug. 2025
-
This was a bit of a poser for planetary scientists.—
David Szondy
July 27,
New Atlas,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
That’s a sure way to invite not only raccoons but other unwanted guests such as mice, opossums, and skunks.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Animals that typically carry rabies are bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The company maintains that its system analyzes music to learn compositional techniques, not to copy sounds verbatim.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Users typed a url in the navigation bar, or typed a search query in that same space—a feature that Opera first pioneered but which was soon copied by Google—and the browser takes the user to that web address or a search results page, which displays a list of links.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This has unintended consequences when both Batel and Spock share a vision that sends Spock into a berserk rage.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 July 2025
-
But that was before Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear and before UConn star Paige Bueckers went absolutely berserk, scoring 40 in the Sweet 16.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ape. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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