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great ape
noun
: any of several large primates including the orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo that are either placed in the same family (Hominidae) as humans or are grouped in a separate family (Pongidae)
Examples of great ape in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Humans share 99 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees and 97 percent with the great apes.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2024
Orangutans, the great apes of Southeast Asia, have a reputation for complex vocal communication.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2024
The great apes are critically endangered — with their population estimated at about 120,000 — and threatened by rapid deforestation mainly due to palm oil and other agriculture plantations, the organization said.
—TIME, 9 May 2024
Noa discovers that this would-be great ape is obsessed with a giant vault guarded by impenetrable steel doors.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024
That is an extremely high bar, though, and there are some pretty great apes: Teague's Noa grows on you because of his plight while Macon makes Raka a scene-stealing hoot with a kind soul.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Previous research has documented several species of great apes foraging for medicines in forests to heal themselves, but scientists hadn't yet seen an animal treat itself in this way.
—CBS News, 2 May 2024
The observed behavior can also provide evidence of commonalities between humans and other great apes.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 May 2024
However, humans and our closest primate relatives — the great apes — said farewell to tails about 25 million years ago, when the group split from Old World monkeys.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'great ape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1771, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near great ape
Cite this Entry
“Great ape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/great%20ape. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
great ape
noun
: any of a family of apes that includes the gorilla, orangutan, and chimpanzee
More from Merriam-Webster on great ape
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about great ape
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