as in imitated
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
was caught aping the substitute teacher's thick accent
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Recent Examples of aped
Nicholson's fireworks would be subsequently aped, and amped up to over-the-top proportions, by other actors and by the future Batman villain himself.
—
Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
But none aped the style of an actual Super Bowl ad more cleverly than this one, clearly modeled after Budweiser’s ads that tend to feature horses and inspirational voiceovers.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
American elites aped European fashions, art, and manners, and Europeans admired American energy and efficiency.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
But none aped the style of an actual Super Bowl ad more cleverly than this one, clearly modeled after Budweiser’s ads that tend to feature horses and inspirational voiceovers.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
American elites aped European fashions, art, and manners, and Europeans admired American energy and efficiency.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aped
Verb
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For starters, as Anthropic’s explicit focus on mitigating the risks of AI has apparently won the trust of many consumers, OpenAI has imitated many of its rival’s safety initiatives.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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The tradition of throwing confetti from the stands became popular during the 1978 World Cup hosted by Argentina and was later imitated by fans around the globe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Not to be redistributed, copied, or modified in any way.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 Apr. 2026
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Supporting documentation that can’t be made ADA-compliant won’t be included, but will be available for the public to look at or to be copied upon request.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Haliburton then emulated Miller by making the same choke gesture after his bouncing, buzzer-beating long 2-pointer forced overtime in Game 1 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals — a game, and series, the Pacers would go on to win.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Others say the spirit of sacrifice that Kimbangu embodied should be emulated by Congo’s leaders.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Later, other stars like Stevie Nicks, David Cassidy, and Mick Jagger mimicked the look in a more choppy, shaggy way with bangs, layers, and tons of texture—instead of the sleekness of the original look.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
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Their system consisted of submerging pre-term lambs in artificial amniotic fluid, where a pumpless oxygenator, supplied by a sweep gas, mimicked placental perfusion.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aped. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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