ape 1 of 3

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

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ape

2 of 3

adjective

ape

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ape distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of ape are copy, imitate, mimic, and mock. While all these words mean "to make something so that it resembles an existing thing," ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

When is it sensible to use copy instead of ape?

The words copy and ape can be used in similar contexts, but copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

Where would imitate be a reasonable alternative to ape?

Although the words imitate and ape have much in common, imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

When might mimic be a better fit than ape?

The words mimic and ape are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

When could mock be used to replace ape?

While the synonyms mock and ape are close in meaning, mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

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
Verb
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
Adjective
After completing the first big area of the game and meeting a giant god-like ape that resembles a headphone-wearing homage to The Jungle Book’s King Louie, a musical sequence shatters the stone revealing it to be a young girl named Pauline. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025 What applies for other apes is best kept in mind for ourselves as well, says Schuppli. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 25 June 2025
Noun
Instead of trying to ape a classic 16-bit console on modern hardware, why not develop the game properly on the original console? Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025 Banijay creative exec Lucas Green recently raised concerns that YouTubers aping traditional formats are bad for business but Hugill disagreed. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ape
Verb
  • Perhaps the Lake Bluff streakers heard of those at CLC and wanted to imitate them.
    Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
  • The park’s hub-and-spoke design has been copied by parks around the world, but the caliber of Disneyland’s craftsmanship wasn’t easily imitated.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Adjective
  • The terms of the agreement are monitored by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency – which Iran has already suspended cooperation with following U.S. and Israeli strikes against its nuclear program last month.
    Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
  • Is that going to make a measurable difference in the North Korean nuclear program?
    CBS News, CBS News, 13 July 2025
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
  • Another consideration is insulation: Lots of it, easily twice the code minimum, to emulate the thick walls of a mudbrick hut and slow heat transfer.
    Sam Bloch, Time, 28 July 2025
  • Run by Bushwick locals and brothers Max and Spencer Nelson and friend Jordan Dubey, the pizzeria aims to emulate your favorite dive bar, but with better food.
    Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • This new version understands the overall assignment: bring back a few familiar faces; reintroduce your resident homicidal maniac hellbent on revenge; gather an insanely photogenic cast and kill most of them.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2025
  • Based on Roth’s fictitious trailer of the same name that appeared in Grindhouse (2007), Thanksgiving takes place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where a masked maniac terrorizes the residents one year after a Black Friday riot ended in tragedy.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • In an ’87 landscape of Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page clones, Santiago had no desire to be another poser.
    Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 14 July 2025
  • Mohammed's character Hugh has to snort cocaine during the trio's initial meeting with the gangster Fly (Paddy Considine) to prove that the trio aren't posers.
    Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • The animals included 12 bats, nine racoons, eight skunks, two groundhogs, a bobcat, three cats and a fox, data shows.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
  • People and domestic animals should always avoid physical contact with wild animals such as raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats, coyotes, which carry a higher risk of human exposure and a need for rabies post-exposure treatment.
    Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • But its decision to copy a Chinese artificial intelligence lab in 2025 in an effort to compete with OpenAI backfired, forcing the company to overhaul its AI strategy.
    Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 29 July 2025
  • Silent Crow, one of the groups, said on Telegram that its members copied the airline's entire database of flight history, audio recordings, internal calls, and surveillance data.
    Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ape. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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