ape

[ eyp ]

/ eɪp /

noun

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).See also catarrhine.

(loosely) any primate except humans.

an imitator; mimic.

Informal. a big, ugly, clumsy person.

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, ap·ing.

to imitate; mimic: to ape another's style of writing.

adjective

Slang. (usually in the phrase go ape)

violently emotional: When she threatened to leave him, he went ape.
extremely enthusiastic (often followed by over or for): They go ape over old rock music.We were all ape for the new movie trailer.

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Do you remember all the words from last week, September 21–27, 2020? Then this quiz should be butyraceous.

Question 1 of 7

What does “yare” mean?

quick; agile; lively.

expressive of or characterized by sorrow.

having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire.

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Origin of ape

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

usage note for ape

See simianization.

OTHER WORDS FROM ape

ape·like, adjective

Words nearby ape

apatite, apatosaurus, APB, APC, A-P-C virus, ape, apeak, APEC, ape hangers, Apeldoorn, Apelles

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ape

It turned out to be a roughly 13-million-year-old molar from a small-bodied ape related to modern gibbons.
A stray molar is the oldest known fossil from an ancient gibbon|Bruce Bower|September 8, 2020|Science News
After finding the Ramnagar molar in 2015, Gilbert’s team compared it with corresponding teeth of living and extinct apes and monkeys.
A stray molar is the oldest known fossil from an ancient gibbon|Bruce Bower|September 8, 2020|Science News
People would gather to watch the apes in Rwanda’s national parks.
How to find the next pandemic virus before it finds us|Lindsey Konkel|April 30, 2020|Science News For Students
But a series of misunderstandings triggers an all-out war between man and ape, threatening the future of mankind.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema|Marlow Stern|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yup, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld compared President Obama to an ape.
Fringe Factor: Convicted Killer, Registered Sex Offender Runs for California Governor|Caitlin Dickson|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If only Charlton Heston had been there to shriek something about overthrowing our ape overlords.
CPAC: Come for the Crazy, Stay for the Party|Michelle Cottle|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his more-than-a-dozen books, he has thoughtfully mined the goings-on of the ape world for insights about the human one.
What Can Animals Teach Us About Our Morality?|Robert Herritt|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He self-consciously tries to ape the mannerisms of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
The Foodie Detective: The Pepe Carvalho Novels by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán|Malcolm Forbes|October 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The ape's vocal cords, which now were Bentley's, were incapable of speech.
Astounding Stories, June, 1931|Various
It is the passion of the body swamping the brain; it's an ape that has seized a gun, a beautiful modern gun.
The Passionate Friends|Herbert George Wells
By-and-by the ape came to visit the crab, and seeing the fine tree laden with the yellow-brown fruit, begged a few.
Japanese Fairy World|William Elliot Griffis
The ape and the tiger, in fact, are not dead in any one of us.
The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day|Evelyn Underhill
The teeth strengthen the evidence, for they are described as too large for a man and too small for an ape.
Man, Past and Present|Agustus Henry Keane

British Dictionary definitions for ape

ape

/ (eɪp) /

noun

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

(not in technical use) any monkey

an imitator; mimic

US informal a coarse, clumsy, or rude person

verb

(tr) to imitate

Derived forms of ape

apelike, adjective

Word Origin for ape

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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ape

noun

verb (used with object), aped, ap·ing.

adjective

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Origin of ape

usage note for ape

OTHER WORDS FROM ape

Words nearby ape

Example sentences from the Web for ape

British Dictionary definitions for ape

noun

verb

Derived forms of ape

Word Origin for ape

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

ape

noun

verb (used with object), aped, ap·ing.

adjective

QUIZZES

GEE WHILLIKERS! WAIT TILL YOU SEE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Origin of ape

usage note for ape

OTHER WORDS FROM ape

Words nearby ape

Content related to ape

Words related to ape

Example sentences from the Web for ape

British Dictionary definitions for ape

noun

verb

Derived forms of ape

Word Origin for ape