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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Ape Definition, Types, and Usage Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：a large tailless primate (ape)

ape 🔊

/eɪp/

A large, smart animal like a gorilla or chimpanzee, which is a primate with no tail.

a large tailless primate 🔊

➕

/ə lɑːrdʒ ˈteɪl.ləs ˈpraɪ.meɪt/

A large, intelligent primate such as a gorilla or chimpanzee, which lacks a tail and is capable of using tools and learning sign language.

📁 Category：Animal Protection 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'apa', of Germanic origin, related to Dutch 'aap' and German 'Affe'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine an ape copying your every move to remember its verb meaning of imitation.

📖 Example

At the zoo, we watched the ape use sign language to ask for more food. 🔊 At the zoo, we watched the ape use sign language to ask for more food.

🔗 Collocations

great ape – a large ape such as a gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, or bonobo

ape species – a specific type of ape

ape habitat – the natural environment where apes live

🔄 Synonyms

primate (n.) – a member of the biological order Primates, which includes apes, monkeys, and humans

simian (n.) – a monkey or ape, especially in a scientific context

anthropoid (n.) – a higher primate, especially an ape that resembles humans

🚫 Antonyms

human (n.) – a person, as opposed to a non-human primate

🌱 Derivatives

apelike (adj.) – resembling or characteristic of an ape

📖 Cultural Story

The noun 'ape' comes from Proto-Germanic '*apan'. Its verb sense 'to imitate' emerged in the 17th century, reflecting the observed mimicking behavior of apes.

Meaning 2：to imitate clumsily (ape)

ape 🔊

/eɪp/

To copy exactly what someone else does or how they look, often in a clumsy or thoughtless way.

to imitate clumsily 🔊

➕

/tuː ˈɪm.ɪ.teɪt ˈklʌm.zɪ.li/

To copy someone's actions, speech, or style in a way that is obvious and often awkward, lacking originality.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Stop trying to ape your older brother's style; you need to find your own fashion sense. 🔊 Stop trying to ape your older brother's style; you need to find your own fashion sense.

🔗 Collocations

ape someone's style – to copy the way someone dresses or behaves

ape the mannerisms – to imitate someone's characteristic gestures or habits

ape the speech – to mimic someone's way of speaking

🔄 Synonyms

mimic (v.) – to copy the way someone speaks or moves, often for amusement

imitate (v.) – to follow as a model or pattern, often without creativity

copy (v.) – to produce something that looks exactly like the original, often in a thoughtless way

🚫 Antonyms

innovate (v.) – to introduce something new or original

create (v.) – to bring something into existence from imagination

originate (v.) – to be the first to develop a new idea or method

🌱 Derivatives

aper (n.) – a person who imitates others, often in a clumsy way