great ape

noun

plural great apes

: any of several large primates including the orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo that are classified in the same family (Hominidae) as humans

Examples of great ape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So, when looking at brain size and intelligence, the differences among human brains are relatively small compared to the differences between a human brain and any other great ape brain. —ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2026

Safari Park has 11 of the great apes. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

Guests can now not only tick off both of the great apes with a two-stop trip, but also have plenty of other things to do in between—perhaps mountain biking and archery, or, for something more chilled out, basket weaving and coffee tasting. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026

Besides carnivorous snake-trees, majestic candlehawks, and various glittering quasi-insects, the Scythian biome includes a species called the basket-men, who look like a cross between great apes and praying mantises. —Stephanie Burt, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for great ape

• agape
• escape
• landscape
• lenape
• reshape
• seascape
• soundscape
• audiotape
• videotape
• cape
• crape
• crepe

Kids Definition

great ape

noun

: any of a family of apes that includes the gorilla, orangutan, and chimpanzee