as in to imitate
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in maniac
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in aper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anthropoid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ape
Lavender Au, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
Above all, those kids who come from the suburbs didn’t ape the Americans but chose their own narrative path, going much higher in quality.
—Marcello Junior Dino, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2024
Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2020
Walking upright on two legs is considered a human trait that separates us from our ape relatives, like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2020
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
Yet the fact that the ultra-cheeky Williams is inexplicably presented as a bawdy CG ape man (given cool moves and voice via performance capture by Jonno Davies) matches the fantastical nature of the British pop star’s bananas rise-and-fall-and-rise-again tale.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ape
Verb
On its app homepage, JD has begun aping Pinduoduo by emphasizing discounts.
—Lavender Au, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
Above all, those kids who come from the suburbs didn’t ape the Americans but chose their own narrative path, going much higher in quality.
—Marcello Junior Dino, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Every hominin species in the fossil record has its own unique mix of familiar human traits and more ape-like ones, shaped by their environments and lifestyles.
—Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2020
Walking upright on two legs is considered a human trait that separates us from our ape relatives, like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2020
Noun
The penguins, the apes, really the entire cast of Madagascar.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
Yet the fact that the ultra-cheeky Williams is inexplicably presented as a bawdy CG ape man (given cool moves and voice via performance capture by Jonno Davies) matches the fantastical nature of the British pop star’s bananas rise-and-fall-and-rise-again tale.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ape
Verb
-
Gone were the regal ceremony and traditionalism, replaced by a humility intended to imitate Christ’s poverty.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Xi has no reason to imitate Putin’s reckless break with Europe and the United States.—
Michael Kimmage,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And yet our maniac coach is playing everyone too many minutes, including the injury prone players.—
James L. Edwards III,
The Athletic,
14 Jan. 2025
-
At first glance, Torres’ debut film seems like a quirky, millennial visual feast about a desperate El Salvadorian and a maniac artist.—
The Arizona Republic,
The Arizona Republic,
14 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
By never breaking the anthropoid conceit — keeping Williams a chimp from working-class childhood obscurity to adult pop-stardom — Better Man evolves into the most honest and exploratory showbiz movie ever made.—
Armond White,
National Review,
10 Jan. 2025
-
But thanks to a meager fossil record, the question of where this first anthropoid was born has remained open.—
Rachel Preiser,
Discover Magazine,
11 Nov. 2019
Verb
-
This week, the state slammed shut the schoolhouse door in the face of many others who hope to emulate his story.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Mister Robinson emulated Rogers' talk-to-the-camera method, though with tougher, more adult tales than the original.—
Kate Hogan,
People.com,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The dissolve to a commercial break a moment later was silent, with no applause; the discourse the following week was predictably berserk.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Photo: Disney Beyond that, Disney films also had a berserk sense of spectacle and showmanship that distinguished them.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 July 2024
Noun
-
After the release of Elden Ring, a famously difficult bestseller, Musk posted a screenshot of his character, but his build instantly exposed him as a poser.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
-
This poser is hard to work through when we are only given the text.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Medium-sized animals like skunks, bobcats and foxes also did not vanish.—
Anton Sorokin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Bats and skunks are common transmitters of the disease.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Human engineers also iteratively refine their solutions, running tests and debugging unexpected behaviors, an approach that LLMs struggle to copy.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The negro has been too long associated with the white man not to have copied his vices as well as his virtues.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ape. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share