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ape
[ eyp ]
/ eɪp /
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noun
verb (used with object), aped, ap·ing.
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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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, adjectiveWords nearby ape
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ape in a sentence
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, adjectiveWord 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
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