All terms
All termsAddressBlockBlock timeBlockchainConfirmationGasGweiHashMempoolNodePrivate keyPublic keySeed phraseTransactionWalletAll time high (ATH)Bear marketBull marketBundlerCandlestickCapitulationChart patternsCliffDollar cost averaging (DCA)Funding rateLeverageLimit orderLiquidationLiquidityMarket capMarket orderOrder bookPerp (perpetual futures)Position sizingPresaleRisk managementSlippageSniperSpreadStealth launchStop lossSupport and resistanceTrendUnlockVestingVolatilityVolumeWhaleAMMBonding curveBridgeBurnCEXDAODeFiDepegDEXFarmingFlash loanGovernance tokenGraduationImpermanent lossLiquidity poolLP (liquidity provider)LP tokenOraclePerpetual (perp)PointsRestakingRWAStablecoinTVLWrapped tokenYield farmingAirdropAlphaAnonApe (to ape in)Ape inBagholderBagsChadCope / copiumCrypto Twitter (CT)DegenDevDiamond handsDiscordExit liquidityFloor priceFOMOFUDGMHODLJeetKOLLARPLoreMaxiMeme coinMoonNFTNGMINo coinerNormiePaper handsPFPRaidRektSerShillSnapshotTelegram (TG)TradFiWAGMIWenAddress poisoningCold storageCustodyDue diligence (DYOR)Dusting attackExit scamFront runningHardware walletHoneypotHot walletMEVMultisigPhishingPump and dumpRug pullSandwich attackSelf custodySIM swapToken approvalTwo factor authenticationWallet drainerWash tradingAccount abstractionAppchainBlock explorerCirculating and total supplyConsensusData availabilityEVMFaucetFinalityForkFully diluted valuation (FDV)Gas warHalvingLayer 1Layer 2Layer 3MainnetMiningName serviceOptimistic rollupProof of stakeProof of workRollupShardingSidechainSlashingSmart contractStakingTestnetToken standardTokenomicsValidatorZero knowledge proofZK rollupArweave and the permawebComposabilityCross chain messagingdAppDecentralized identity (DID)DePINGameFi and play to earnIndexerInteroperabilityIPFSOnchain and offchainSession keysSmart accountSocialFiSoulbound tokenSybil resistanceToken gatingWeb2 vs Web3Web3
Definition
Buying quickly and heavily with minimal research.
To ape in is to buy fast because something is happening now, trusting instinct over analysis. It is the action FOMO produces.
Sometimes it works, which is why it persists. The distribution of outcomes is brutal and heavily skewed toward loss.
In practice
Aping into a token because a large account posted about it is how most rug pulls find their buyers.
What people get wrong
That the risk is the size. The risk is the missing step. Buying a large amount of something you researched is a position; buying any amount of something you did not is a guess with money attached.
Common questions
Why do people ape in?
Because opportunities feel time limited and research feels slow. Sometimes that is even true. The cost is that you find out what you bought afterward.
Is there a safer way to ape?
Cap it. A fixed small amount you have already decided you can lose turns aping from a risk into an expense.
Where to go next
DegenShort for degenerate, worn as a badge by high risk traders.FOMOFear of missing out, and the most reliable way to buy a local top.Rug pullWhen a project team abandons it and takes the money.Meme coinA token whose value comes from attention and community rather than utility.
More culture terms
AirdropAlphaAnonApe (to ape in)BagholderBagsChadCope / copiumCrypto Twitter (CT)DegenDevDiamond hands
Want this explained out loud?
Some of these land faster in conversation than in writing. Sessions are one to one and you can ask anything, including the things that feel too obvious to ask.