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

A similar incident took place in 2020 when another gorilla damaged a layer of glass at the zoo while engaging in a physical confrontation with a fellow ape.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the approach is that, because thermal cameras measure a physical stress response that is innate in many primates, it can also be used in non-human apes.

Read more on BBC

The group had started out as one of countless young English acts aping American R&B in the mid-’60s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At moments when the Mideast is blowing up, American presidents always begin to ape the language, preoccupations and granular knowledge of the regional experts, some of whom follow from White House to White House.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Scientists had thought chimps were docile vegetarians, but on this day about three months after her arrival, Goodall spied a group of the apes feasting on something pink.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• emulate 
• imitate