great ape

American  

[greyt eyp] / ˈgreɪt ˈeɪp /

noun

1. any extant or extinct member of the family Hominidae, or hominids: its extant species include humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

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great ape British  

noun

1. any of the larger anthropoid apes, such as the chimpanzee, orang-utan, or gorilla

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great ape Scientific  

/ grāt /

1. See anthropoid ape

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Etymology

Origin of great ape

First recorded in 1770–75

Example Sentences

Zoo “baby boom” of great apes over the last four months.

From Los Angeles Times

Their absence has fuelled speculation as to whether the great apes were swept away by floods and landslides.

From BBC

These results support the idea that humans and great apes share vocal processing abilities that existed before spoken language emerged.

From Science Daily

The birth comes at an exciting time for L.A. zookeepers, who have welcomed the five endangered great apes in the span of four months.

From Los Angeles Times

Their study suggests that the mouth-on-mouth kiss evolved more than 21 million years ago, and was something that the common ancestor of humans and other great apes probably indulged in.

From BBC