copycat

1 of 2

noun

copy·​cat ˈkä-pē-ˌkat How to pronounce copycat (audio)
often attributive
1
: one who imitates or adopts the behavior or practices of another
2
: an imitative act or product
copycat board games

copycat

2 of 2

verb

copycatted; copycatting

intransitive verb

: to act as a copycat

Examples of copycat in a Sentence

Noun She called me a copycat for wearing the same dress. every rock singer who makes it big soon has a whole cluster of copycats Verb asked her stylist to copycat a hairstyle from the magazine a performer who slavishly copycats another never rises to the level of true stardom
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The copycat products claim to address conditions like glaucoma, which is treated with prescription drugs or surgery, the agency noted. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2024 Related Articles Realtor associations deluged with ‘copycat’ commission lawsuits Questions around water supplies for a new city in California, where underground aquifers are severely depleted, have swirled around the project. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024 But Warren and Jayapal have been arguing for months that major drug companies are exploiting that structure by updating listings with insignificant changes to extend the time it's protected from copycats. USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 Watching them encourages stations to air more of them, which encourages copycats. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023 Yes, a copycat of Ghostface tries to creatively replicate the horrors of Woodsboro, and the secret identity of the new serial killer will give the fans of 1996's Scream who haven't seen the sequel an equally satisfying twist-ending. Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Further Reading Apple Vision Pro will launch Feb. 2, preorders start Jan. 19 Still, social media stunts with tens of millions of views have the potential to inspire copycats, and that gives officials pause. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2024 In the copycat, often predictable world of sports media, Rodgers’ spontaneity and plain-spoken, edgy analysis would have been welcome throughout the NFL playoffs. Bob Raissman, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024 She’s then hit by an incoming train, but nine years later, Lockhart’s investigation into a set of copycat crimes leads him to the same woman, who hasn't aged. Danny Horn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024
Verb
And that applies to fashion design, decor, and even to the travel industry, where there’s a real tendency to copycat successful ideas. Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 20 Jan. 2023 And neither of us was that interested in trying to copycat any of the production elements of their songs, anyway. Vulture, 18 May 2022 Sometimes, people will copycat what other teams have done. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2022 Park mentioned the case of the Boston Marathon Bomber, in which social media led to misidentification of suspects, and possibly to copycat cases. Michael M. Dewitt, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2021 Its new twist on phishing alerts, though, could give it and copycat criminal hackers one more edge in a fight that’s already unfair. Brian Barrett, Wired, 14 Oct. 2021 Not to copycat Pittsburgh, but reflect on its incremental success. Peter Krouse, cleveland, 30 July 2021 Not surprisingly, copycat digital banks are cropping up in Brazil, and the old-line banks are investing more heavily in technology. Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021 Speight compares the replicas to copycat Chanel bags. Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 18 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'copycat.' 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

Noun

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of copycat was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near copycat

Cite this Entry

“Copycat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copycat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

copycat

noun
copy·​cat
ˈkäp-ē-ˌkat
: one who imitates or adopts the behavior or practices of another
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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