ape

[eyp]

noun

1. Anthropology, Zoology.,  any member of the superfamily Hominoidea, the two extant branches of which are the lesser apes (gibbons) and the great apes (humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans).

2. (loosely) any primate except humans.

3. an imitator; mimic.

4. Informal.,  a big, ugly, clumsy person.

5. Disparaging and Offensive.,  (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

verb (used with object)

aped, aping 

1. to imitate; mimic.

   to ape another's style of writing.

adjective

1. Slang.,  (usually in the phrasego ape )

   1. violently emotional.

      When she threatened to leave him, he went ape.

   2. extremely enthusiastic (often followed by over orfor ).

      They go ape over old rock music.

      We were all ape for the new movie trailer.

ape

/ eɪp /

noun

1. any of various primates, esp those of the family Pongidae , in which the tail is very short or absent See anthropoid ape See also great ape

2. (not in technical use) any monkey

3. an imitator; mimic

4. informal,  a coarse, clumsy, or rude person

verb

1. (tr) to imitate

Sensitive Note

See simianization.

Other Word Forms

• apelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ape¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English apa; cognate with Old Saxon apo, Old Norse api, Old High German affo ( German Affe ); further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of ape¹

Old English apa; related to Old Saxon ape, Old Norse api, Old High German affo

Example Sentences

Leakey spoke to her of his desire to learn more about all the great apes.

From Los Angeles Times

There was consensus on some issues - that in taking on Nigel Farage, Labour should not "ape" Reform but there was a different emphasis from each candidate on what the Labour government had got wrong.

From BBC

Haddix, who calls herself the “Dolly Parton of chimps,” pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice in March and was arrested in July for harboring yet another ape in her Missouri home.

From Los Angeles Times

It shows that when one of these social great apes moves into a new group, she will seek out and join another female she already knows.

From BBC

He recently made a speech warning the Conservatives against trying to ape the policies of Reform UK.

From BBC

Related Words

• emulate 
• imitate