apes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ape
as in copies
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

apes

2 of 2

noun

plural of ape
1
as in hams

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in anthropoids

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 apes
Verb
The track apes the softly anthemic approach of U2, Coldplay, and the National—until all of that elegant uplift topples like an overly ambitious wedding cake. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026 But if getting Andy back in the Runway fold feels a lot like getting her into it in the first film, that feeling will only persist, as the sequel apes the original feature nearly beat for beat, with some small swaps here and there. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026 More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 There are high columns crawling with ivy, nearly 12 acres of rolling lawns, teensy windows with teensy shutters, and a diminutive pool house that apes a fairy-tale cottage. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apes
  1. copies
  2. actors
  3. brutes
  4. imitates
  5. posers
  6. villains
  7. emulates
  8. impressionists
Verb
  • Still, those details deserve more attention when a new site also copies campaign branding or asks for money.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
  • This rapid method copies the parasite’s genetic material until there’s enough to detect, rather than trying to grow the organism.
    — Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of copies
Noun
  • Male actors seem to be given more leeway than female stars to display bigger personalities without the public turning on them.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And while some nights are replacing reruns of other shows, that means lower residuals for creatives, with broadcast reruns usually paying out the largest amounts for writers, actors and others involved.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of actors
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Verb
  • Sometimes life imitates art, but other times, art imitates life.
    — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • The undulating roofline imitates the Allegheny Mountains, and 38 steel columns create a canopy reminiscent of the region's forests, Prix Versailles says.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Definition of imitates
Noun
  • Get paid, hang out like the rest of these posers.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
  • Costumed reporters and awkward celebrity posers.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Definition of posers
Noun
  • Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, U30 lister Tom Holland, is back on the screen to beat both villains and records.
    — Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The aforementioned Richie Aprile, played wonderfully by David Proval, makes for one of the most menacing villains of the series.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of villains
Verb
  • Oscar emulates him with another round of Volcano Mode a minute later.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Like many performance EVs attempting to address the absence of combustion-engine noise, Genesis has also developed a bespoke electric Active Sound Design system to create a soundtrack that emulates an ICE vehicle.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of emulates
Noun
  • Upstairs, impressionists, writers, socialites, and painters who moved in Proust’s orbit, from Sarah Bernhardt to Emile Zola and Claude Monet, lent their names to a room or suite.
    — Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of impressionists

Browse Nearby Words

apertures
apes
apex
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apes. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on apes

Nglish: Translation of apes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All