1
as in to imitate
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior a school intruder was caught trying to impersonate a teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to portray
to present a portrayal or performance of interpreters at the living history museum impersonate figures who are known to have actually lived in the colonial town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impersonate Season one introduced David Mitchell's John, a puzzle setter who found a knack for crime solving while impersonating his missing police detective brother James, and his sister-in-law Lucy, played by Anna Maxwell Martin. Tess Foley-Cox, theweek, 14 Nov. 2024 In his monologue, Trump joked about his ongoing feud with Rosie O’Donnell and the show itself, bringing out cast members Taran Killam and Darrel Hammond, both of whom regularly impersonated him on the show. Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024 One big new threat involves artificial intelligence scams that use fake images, texts, videos or other messages, often by impersonating a celebrity, politician, family member or friend in hopes of separating a victim from his or her money. Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 1 Dec. 2024 Be on the lookout for hot scams Some hot scams are old scams: Online sellers will impersonate big name brands to steal your cash or ID information. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 30 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impersonate 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonate
Verb
  • Life really does imitate art — and Jeremy Strong is here for it.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
  • During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.
    SYLVIE CORBET, arkansasonline.com, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Jessica Chastain and Casey Affleck portray his children as adults, while Matt Damon, John Lithgow, Michael Caine and Topher Grace each appear along the way as well.
    Tommy McArdle, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
  • As the movie portrays, on June 18, 1984, at 9:15pm at night, Berg pulled his car into his driveway, got out, and was shot dead by Order member Bruce Pierce.
    Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.
    SYLVIE CORBET, arkansasonline.com, 8 Dec. 2024
  • During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and Champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies.
    Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Popular on Variety The hour plays like a transitory modern version of an old-school Christmas variety special, with each of the guests prompted to loudly sing along to classic holiday tracks as well as their own biggest hits.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
  • In an earlier episode, the family’s patriarch, John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, was murdered.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • This can be performed in separate locations or between individuals in the same room using a speakerphone.
    Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Kamilah performed an original rap that hyped up Seacrest.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The movie depicts the life of Lombardy peasant families working on farms for the same landlord during the late 19th century, casting actual farmers and locals instead of professional actors.
    Sandra Salibian, WWD, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, Father Time is often depicted holding his scythe, signifying that every moment is fleeting.
    Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Traditional methods require women to interpret results on their own, often through cumbersome and intrusive processes.
    Janet Zhang, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
  • In front is a stage set that is a little hard to visually interpret.
    Jaron Lanier, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Artificial intelligence models do much more than generate (occasionally accurate) text responses and (somewhat) realistic videos.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Most people never do this exercise because seeing the gap between their current reality and their dreams feels painful.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near impersonate

Cite this Entry

“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonate. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on impersonate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!