ape 1 of 3

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

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ape

2 of 3

adjective

ape

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ape distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of ape are copy, imitate, mimic, and mock. While all these words mean "to make something so that it resembles an existing thing," ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

When is it sensible to use copy instead of ape?

The words copy and ape can be used in similar contexts, but copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

Where would imitate be a reasonable alternative to ape?

Although the words imitate and ape have much in common, imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

When might mimic be a better fit than ape?

The words mimic and ape are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

When could mock be used to replace ape?

While the synonyms mock and ape are close in meaning, mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ape
Verb
Every hominin species in the fossil record has its own unique mix of familiar human traits and more ape-like ones, shaped by their environments and lifestyles. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 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
The revival's planned 11th season was canceled after Barr, who played the titular matriarch of the working-class Conner family, sent a tweet likening Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, to an ape. Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 11 July 2025 With that, there’s plenty of weight on the ape’s shoulders, but the developers at Nintendo are confident that DK is up to the task. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
Noun
Instead of trying to ape a classic 16-bit console on modern hardware, why not develop the game properly on the original console? Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025 Banijay creative exec Lucas Green recently raised concerns that YouTubers aping traditional formats are bad for business but Hugill disagreed. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ape
Verb
  • Although Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis had a cutthroat rivalry in Black Swan, life did not imitate art for the actresses, despite Darren Aronofsky‘s best attempts.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
  • The fake pool has been designed to imitate the uppermost twenty feet of the real one as closely as possible, down to the contours of its sides, which are made not from rock but from plastic foam sealed with fibreglass.
    Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Traditional sources can’t scale fast enough: new nuclear and coal plants take decades, and even natural gas can’t ramp up quickly enough to meet near-term demand.
    Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Just last week, an online argument that once might have ended with a rage-quit ended up concluding with the deployment of nuclear submarines.
    Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Donald and Melania Trump approved a construction project in June to swap the garden's central lawn with white stone pavers that more closely emulate the Mar-a-Lago aesthetic.
    Kyler Alvord, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Devices like this make privacy a competitive advantage that other companies should emulate.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This new version understands the overall assignment: bring back a few familiar faces; reintroduce your resident homicidal maniac hellbent on revenge; gather an insanely photogenic cast and kill most of them.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2025
  • Based on Roth’s fictitious trailer of the same name that appeared in Grindhouse (2007), Thanksgiving takes place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where a masked maniac terrorizes the residents one year after a Black Friday riot ended in tragedy.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • In an ’87 landscape of Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page clones, Santiago had no desire to be another poser.
    Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 14 July 2025
  • Mohammed's character Hugh has to snort cocaine during the trio's initial meeting with the gangster Fly (Paddy Considine) to prove that the trio aren't posers.
    Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • The center is permitted for all native wildlife, ranging from opossums, skunks, raccoons to songbirds, waterfowl, reptiles, and amphibians, Hamlin said.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 2 July 2025
  • The animals included 12 bats, nine racoons, eight skunks, two groundhogs, a bobcat, three cats and a fox, data shows.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • This is about weaponizing curiosity to create competitive advantages that AI can't replicate and competitors can't copy.
    B.D. Dalton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The British already had experience mass-producing cotton calico with prints such as chintz, and Dutch potters in Delft had long mastered the art of copying Chinese blue-and-white ceramics.
    H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 6 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ape. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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