/ eɪp; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a large animal like a monkey , with no tail. There are different types of ape :
the great apes (= for example, orang-utans or chimpanzees )
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IDIOMS
- go ape / apeshit
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
( BrE , disapproving ) to do sth in the same way as sb else, especially when it is not done very well
SYN imitate :
For years the British film industry merely aped Hollywood.
2.
( especially NAmE ) to copy the way sb else behaves or talks, in order to make fun of them
SYN mimic :
We used to ape the teacher's southern accent.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English apa , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch aap and German Affe .