as in imitating
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent
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Recent Examples of aping
The failure of Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, which reimagined this towering icon into a skittering lizard that was clearly aping more from Jurassic Park than any of the kaiju films that came before it, positioned the start of Godzilla’s third era as something of a return to form.
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James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Critics accused him of aping Farage’s rhetoric and warned that Labour could lose votes to the left in trying to court the right.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Ryback shows the younger man's relaxation-as-growth around impressive set pieces, including a segment of aping famed concert pianists Alfred Brendel and Glenn Gould as well as Hoffman's blistering rant after a visit to Dachau.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2025
James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Critics accused him of aping Farage’s rhetoric and warned that Labour could lose votes to the left in trying to court the right.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Ryback shows the younger man's relaxation-as-growth around impressive set pieces, including a segment of aping famed concert pianists Alfred Brendel and Glenn Gould as well as Hoffman's blistering rant after a visit to Dachau.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aping
Verb
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Two hours later, the trainer — now in a foam Michelin-man neck-to-heel suit — crouches near the box, imitating a quiet intruder.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
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Users appeared to be imitating and showing off to one another.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Modern examples, however, have come a long way in emulating the look.—
Shagun Khare,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
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The team behind the new study believes that emulating this approach can be beneficial across various fields today.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Instead of compressing at the pixel level, the algorithm appears to be copying and manipulating objects from multiple images, while maintaining a degree of visual continuity.—
Alex Reisner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
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Rather than chasing trends or copying what already works elsewhere, Salomon is investing in research and testing to guide their development process.—
Cory Smith,
Outside,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Humanlike robot interaction In human-robot interaction, most robots currently respond reactively, mimicking expressions only after humans act, which feels artificial.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
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These medications work by mimicking a hormone that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake.—
Lauren Manaker,
SELF,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aping. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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