ape (eɪp
)
Definitions
noun
- any of various primates, esp those of the family 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
Alternative Forms
ˈapeˌlike adjectiveWord Origin
Old English apa; related to Old Saxon ape, Old Norse api, Old High German affoSynonyms
View thesaurus entryUsage examples
Once you were apes, and even now, man is more ape than any ape.
, The Broken God (1993)But I do object to being forced to choose between a child and an ape (Editorial, 13 February, p 3).
New Scientist (1999)Then he climbed onto a grate to ape for the cameras, dashed back into the rumbling black beast and was gone.
Globe and Mail (2003)For female apes the transformation took longer as they had beauty make-up added to the ape look.
Sun, News of the World (2001)But the worst of all was a common little ass who was brought out saddled with an ape on his back.
, A VERY ENGLISH DECEIT: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal (2002)