ape
/eɪp/ (bre, ipa) · [ˈep] /eɪp/ (ame, ipa) · [ˈep] /ˈāp/ (ame, mw)
ape — noun
- apesingular
- apesplural
1. a large, intelligent animal that lives in forests, has long arms but no tail, an
a large, intelligent animal that lives in forests, has long arms but no tail, and includes species such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans
Wei watched a documentary about wild apes living in the rainforests of Borneo.
plural: apes as a general category
The zoo built a new climbing structure so the apes could swing from branch to branch.
On a school trip, Lin saw that chimpanzees had no tails but the monkeys in the next cage did.
Some species of ape use sticks and stones as simple tools to find food.
Reuben saw his first wild ape up close in a Ugandan park, watching gorillas eat bamboo shoots.
文法句型
a/an + ape
plural: apes
用法筆記
The term 'ape' refers specifically to tailless primates. Monkeys, by contrast, usually have tails. This distinction is used in biology but often blurred in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. a person who copies another person's behaviour, speech, or style, often in a way
a person who copies another person's behaviour, speech, or style, often in a way that is rough or exaggerated
At the office party, everyone called João an ape for copying the manager's accent all evening.
construction: called [someone] an ape — person who mimics
The children in Yuna's class called her a silly ape for always copying the way their teacher spoke.
collocation: silly ape (affectionate insult)
The comedian was called an ape for his spot-on impersonations of several past presidents.
Kwame's friends teased him, calling him an ape because he always repeated catchphrases from television shows.
- original
a person who creates instead of copying
文法句型
called [someone] an ape
adjective + ape
用法筆記
This sense is often used as a playful or mild insult toward someone who imitates without adding anything original.
3. a person who is large, awkward, or behaves in a rough or foolish way
a person who is large, awkward, or behaves in a rough or foolish way
Samir felt like a clumsy ape when he accidentally knocked the waiter's tray onto the floor.
simile: feel like a clumsy ape
"Stop acting like a big ape," Maja's grandmother scolded when Maja tripped over the rug.
The two large men barged through the crowd like apes, pushing people aside without apology.
Trang's older brother moved around the small apartment like an ape, bumping into furniture and knocking things over.
- graceful person
someone who moves smoothly and carefully
文法句型
a/an + adjective + ape
用法筆記
This sense is derogatory. It compares a person's rough or heavy movements to those of a large primate.
ape — verb
- apepresent simple I / you / we / they
- apes3rd person singular
- aping-ing form
- apedpast simple
1. to copy someone else's behaviour, style, or work, but produce something that is
to copy someone else's behaviour, style, or work, but produce something that is not as good as the original
The young designer aped the famous brand's logo, but the cheap materials gave it away.
ape + noun phrase (direct object: logo, style)
Trang's essay simply aped the introduction from an online article without understanding the argument.
Several local bands tried to ape the sound of popular Western groups, but none of them succeeded.
Kevin attempted to ape his older brother's relaxed way of speaking, but it came out sounding forced.
The low-budget film aped the camera tricks of big Hollywood productions, but the result looked amateurish.
- originate
to create something new rather than copy
文法句型
ape + noun phrase (someone's style / behaviour / work)
用法筆記
This verb is almost always used critically, suggesting that the copy is noticeably worse than the original.
常見錯誤
ape — adjective
- apepositive
- apercomparative
- apestsuperlative
1. extremely excited or very angry, depending on the situation
extremely excited or very angry, depending on the situation
The children went ape when they saw the huge pile of birthday presents on the table.
go ape — excited meaning
Asher went completely ape over the news that his band had been invited to play at a real music club.
go ape over [something] — excited
The audience went ape when the home team scored the winning basket in the final second of the game.
Wei's mother went ape when she walked into the kitchen and saw flour and eggs all over the floor.
The manager went ape after discovering that the report had been deleted from the computer system.
- calm
the opposite emotional state
文法句型
go ape
be ape over/about something
用法筆記
Always appears within the phrase 'go ape' or 'go ape over/about'. The context — whether the situation is joyful or frustrating — tells you if the meaning is excited or angry.