imitate

verb

im·​i·​tate ˈi-mə-ˌtāt 

imitated; imitating

transitive verb

1

: to follow as a pattern, model, or example

2

: mimic, counterfeit

can imitate his father's booming voice

3

: to be or appear like : resemble

4

: to produce a copy of : reproduce

imitator

ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• ape
• copy
• copycat
• emulate
• mime
• mimic

Choose the Right Synonym for imitate

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing.

copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

ape may suggest presumptuous, unoriginal, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Examples of imitate in a Sentence

Her style has been imitated by many other writers.

He's very good at imitating his father's voice.

She can imitate the calls of many different birds.

Recent Examples on the Web

And with the right color selection paired with the perfect soft plastic trailer, swim jigs can be used to imitate a wide variety of baitfish, from bluegills to perch to shad and more. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024

Raphael had become so good at imitating Perugino, Cusk tells us, that the copies of his master’s work were indistinguishable from the originals. —Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024

The researchers do so by exploiting a peculiar way in which pairs of photons, particles of light, can imitate a graviton, the hypothesized particle that conveys the force of gravity. —Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024

Jesus’ resurrection brought hope for all who choose to live a life of trying to imitate Him -—by being loving and forgiving, compassionate and long suffering. —Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

Another, Voice of Atwood, claims to imitate the writer Margaret Atwood. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024

New stand-outs include the toro no toro, in which locally caught kingfish is enhanced with Flemish Holstein beef to imitate the fat of tuna belly and topped with Royal Belgian Caviar. —Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024

For The Bear actor Lionel Boyce, art has imitated life. —Meredith Lepore, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024

Of course, Sweeney isn’t the first to try to conjure the likeness of the world’s most famous starlet — Anna Nicole Smith, Kim Kardashian, Madonna, Beyoncé and even James Franco are just a few who have purposefully imitated Monroe’s platinum coiffure and scarlet lips. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin imitātus, past participle of imitārī "to follow as a pattern, copy," frequentative derivative of a presumed verb *imā- "make a copy," perhaps going back to Indo-European *h₂im-, whence also Hittite hima-, himma- "substitute, replica, toy"

Note: Aside from Hittite, evidence for an etymon *h₂im- is lacking. See also etymology and note at emulous.

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

imitate

verb

im·​i·​tate ˈim-ə-ˌtāt 

imitated; imitating

1

: to follow as a pattern, model, or example

2

: to be or appear similar to

3

: to copy exactly

imitator

-ˌtāt-ər 

noun