Ape (verb):
American slang meaning to "
imitate" or "
mimic".
Example: In the last decade, Mercedes and Lexus have done nothing but ape each other's styling.
This term supposedly stems from the propensity of monkeys to mimic people - but the last time I saw monkeys at the zoo, they were too busy excreting all over their spiffy artificial habitat and yammering at each other to think about their audience of sticky-faced elementary school kids.