What does ape mean in crypto?

Ape meaning in crypto is to jump into a project fast, without research. People say they aped into a token when they bought it soon after launch or after seeing it trend, usually because they did not want to miss out. The noun form is apeing, sometimes spelled aping.

What does ape mean in crypto slang?

Ledger defines apeing as buying newly launched tokens without having done prior research, often out of fear of missing out. Crypto.com describes it as joining a project without due diligence, or without doing your own research, the opposite of DYOR.

Crypto.com says the slang comes from the expression go ape, meaning to go wild.

Where did aping in crypto come from?

Ledger and Crypto.com both place the term's rise in summer 2020, a period known as DeFi Summer. New decentralised finance tokens were launching so quickly that many buyers felt there was no time to research them. Ledger notes that early buyers who profited shared their approach on social media and others copied it.

Know Your Meme cites an August 2020 post about apeing into a coin as the earliest example it found, while saying the exact origin is unclear. It also notes that the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection is sometimes said to have boosted the word, but that the term predates the collection and the link is unconfirmed.

What does it mean to ape into something in crypto?

To ape into something is to put money into it fast, often a large amount relative to what you have. CoinTracker says apeing tends to follow hype, social media buzz, influencer posts, limited-time presales or NFT drops. Ledger notes that on Crypto Twitter it can also be a question, such as asking which token someone is aping into today.

The term overlaps with degen trading and with FOMO, the fear of missing out that often drives it.

What are the risks of aping?

Ledger calls apeing a high-risk, high-reward move that can lead to significant losses if a project fails. CoinTracker lists the main problems:

• Hyped projects can be scams built to take buyers' money
• New tokens and NFTs can swing sharply in price
• Skipping research means missing red flags about the team or code
• Assets can be hard to sell once demand drops
• Decisions made on impulse tend to be poor ones

Ledger also warns that skipping research leaves buyers exposed to rug pulls and pump-and-dump schemes, where early insiders sell into the rush of new buyers.