ape
noun
\ ËÄp
\
\
Definition of ape
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: any of various large tailless semi-erect primates of Africa and southeastern Asia (such as the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon)
— called also anthropoid, anthropoid ape
â compare great ape
b
: monkey
especially
: one of the larger tailless or short-tailed Old World forms
—not used technically
2a
: mimic
b
: a large uncouth person
ape
verb
aped;
aping
Definition of ape (Entry 2 of 3)
: to copy closely but often clumsily and ineptly
ape
adjectiveKeep scrolling for more
Other Words from ape
Noun
apelike
\ ËÄp-ËlÄ«k
\
adjective
\
adjective
Verb
aper
noun
Synonyms for ape
Synonyms: Verb
copy, copycat, emulate, imitate, mime, mimic
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Examples of ape in a Sentence
Noun
Her boyfriend's some big ape she met at a party.Verb
She apes the speech and manners of the rich. was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Psychologist Philip Goff and colleagues have shown that people associate images of apes more readily with black faces than with white faces. — K.n.c., The Economist, "Societies are tearing apart, but they can be brought together," 14 Aug. 2019 Suffice to say that the naked ape, in a desperately calm maneuver, with a finger-grab on sandstone, retrieved the favorite old canyon hat. — Christopher Ketcham, Harper's magazine, "Ramblinâ Man," 24 June 2019 Krupenye says his team's results support the notion that the preference to avoid individuals who mistreat others is one of the things that set humans apart from other apes. — Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, "Bonobos Might Not Be So Laid-Back after All," 4 Jan. 2018 Dart noticed right away that this was the fossil of an extinct ape, not a monkey. — Quanta Magazine, "How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains," 10 Nov. 2015 After the credits rolled, the team opened the doors between the rooms then observed the behavior of the apes. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Chimps Bond Over Movies, Just Like Us," 18 July 2019 Gil Greengross, an anthropologist then at the University of New Mexico, noted that humor and laughter occur in every society, as well as in apes and even rats. — Giovanni Sabato, Scientific American, "Whatâs So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh," 26 June 2019 Conservationists are especially concerned about the large-scale commercial hunting of slower-breeding species like apes and monkeys. — Jani Actman, National Geographic, "What is bushmeat?," 19 June 2019 Size is one way to distinguish between hulking apes and more diminutive monkeys: Male gorillas can weigh over 400 pounds, but monkeys max out at the 80-pound mandrill. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "A Primer to Our Planet of Monkeys," 12 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Xenophon reported the famous Athenian philosopher Socrates wearing only a single, filthy, thin cloak, aping Spartan fashion. — Myke Cole, The New Republic, "The Sparta Fetish Is a Cultural Cancer," 1 Aug. 2019 The Clinic unfortunately diluted the impact of Pelliâs buildings by welcoming a pair of hotels â the InterContintental and the InterContintental Suites Hotel â which ape the look of Pelliâs styles in a way that dilutes its impact. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Remembering architect Cesar Pelliâs big contributions to Cleveland: An appreciation - Steven Litt," 28 July 2019 Spikes of creamy white astilbe mimicked Mona Lisaâs skin tone, and the long seed heads of the andromeda aped her fingers and added a tawny layer. — Lindsey Taylor, WSJ, "If the âMona Lisaâ Were Made of Flowers...," 7 Aug. 2018 Ostpunk was crude and derivative, but the Ostpunks were doing more than aping Western poses. — Dominic Green, WSJ, "âBurning Down the Hausâ Review: East German Punks," 20 Sep. 2018 Both parties signed the form and put their fingerprints on it, dipping their index fingers into bright purple ink, a gesture that aped one of the bureaucratic procedures of the Iraqi government. — Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, "The Case of the Purloined Poultry: How ISIS Prosecuted Petty Crime," 1 July 2018 Gillespie, who went on to ape some of Stewartâs hard-edge messaging, lost by a landslide to Democrat Ralph Northam in November. — Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, "âMy opponent likes to praise and encourage white supremacists,â Kaine tells crowd.," 17 June 2018 And Mr Ortega is aping the repression of the Somozas. — The Economist, "Daniel Ortega is causing a bloodbath in Nicaragua," 12 July 2018 Lumberjacks and the hipster bartenders who ape their style have long favored Pendletonâs flannel overshirts. — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, "When Itâs Super-Hot, This is Your Workwear Solution," 21 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The mutation blocked production of a cellular signaling molecule used by other animals, including ape cousins. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Heart disease is the price of becoming human, UCSD study finds," 22 July 2019 For the next few million years, the brains of early hominins did not grow much larger than those of our ape ancestors and cousins. — Quanta Magazine, "How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains," 10 Nov. 2015 Bigfoot, described as an evolutionary link between humans and our ape ancestors, is a staple of indigenous American folklore who has miraculously survived into modernity. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The FBI has released 22 pages of its investigation into Bigfoot," 9 June 2019 Why are characters always going in circles, whether physical (jogging astronaut) or metaphorical (repetitious ape routines)? — Peter Opaskar, Ars Technica, "2001 in 70mm: Pod bay doors look better than ever, still wonât open," 21 July 2018 In these tales, the animals are sometimes more human-like and, other times, more ape-like. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "Science Meets Legend: The Story of Our Search for Bigfoot," 8 Oct. 2018 In the fourth toe, the metatarsal head was domed just like a modern humanâs, but other aspects of the shape of the bone looked more ape-like. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "The road to bipedalism wasnât straight and narrow," 15 Aug. 2018 And the shape of the big toe stayed decidedly more ape-like until much later in our lineage, too. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "The road to bipedalism wasnât straight and narrow," 15 Aug. 2018 Orangutan If there was ever a time to compare this activity to The Truman Show, watching our seemingly self-aware ape friend at the San Diego Zoo would be it. — The Editors, Outside Online, "The Definitive Ranking of the Best Animal Livestreams," 14 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ape.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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