ape

[ eyp ]
/ eɪp /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ape ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of a group of anthropoid primates characterized by long arms, a broad chest, and the absence of a tail, comprising the family Pongidae (great ape), which includes the chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan, and the family Hylobatidae (lesser ape), which includes the gibbon and siamang.
(loosely) any primate except humans.
an imitator; mimic.
Informal. a big, ugly, clumsy person.

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

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

Idioms for ape

    go ape, Slang. to become violently emotional: When she threatened to leave him, he went ape.
    go ape over, Slang. to be extremely enthusiastic about: They go ape over old rock music.

Origin of ape

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ape

ape·like, adjective

Words nearby ape

apathy, apatite, apatosaurus, apb, apc, ape, ape hangers, ape-man, apeak, apec, apeldoorn

Content related to ape

Take A Zoo Word Trip With Dictionary.com And The Houston Zoo From habitat to pachyderm, these words will help kids of all ages understand more about the plants, animals, and environments they see represented at the zoo. See if you can find an exhibit that gives you an example of each one!
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Words related to ape

imitate, emulate, do, caricature, ditto, parrot, counterfeit, echo, impersonate, travesty, mirror, affect, copy, mock, parody

Example sentences from the Web for ape

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 absent See 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