imitate

verb

im·​i·​tate ˈi-mə-ˌtāt 

imitated; imitating

transitive verb

1

: to follow as a pattern, model, or example

Her style has been imitated by many other writers.

2

a

: to copy or repeat (the form, character, qualities, conduct, manners, etc.) of someone or something : mimic, counterfeit

can imitate his father's booming voice

The scout imitated the bird's call.

b

: to resemble by biological mimicry

chameleons imitating their background

The viceroy butterfly is said to imitate the monarch.

3

: to be or appear like : resemble

a fabric that imitates silk

4

: to produce a copy of : reproduce

… able to imitate the various brilliant and delightful touches of nature.

—Anne Brontë

imitator

ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of imitate

• emulate
• copy
• 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

Art imitating life a little bit. —Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

That work led to the Multisensory Correlation Detector (MCD), which could imitate human responses to simple audiovisual patterns like flashes and clicks. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025

Leni completed the costume with a wig imitating Camilla’s dark, curly tresses, and wore the character’s most iconic outfit with a white tank top and oversize hairbow. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025

Sitting outside a Catholic church on the French Riviera, Carlo Rovelli jutted his head forward and backward, imitating a pigeon trotting by. —Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for imitate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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