impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume or act the character of : personate
Examples of impersonate in a Sentence
He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
a comedian with a talent for impersonating famous politicians and actors
Recent Examples on the Web
The charges include violating Georgia’s racketeering law, impersonating a public officer, making false statements and writings, and others.
—
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
Some social media users also claimed the men in the photo were impersonating Marines.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Drawing on phone recordings obtained from the bank, prosecutors said Mizuhara had also impersonated Ohtani to gain the bank’s approval for certain large transactions.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Mizuhara even impersonated the superstar to try to get bank employees to approve enormous wire transfers, the prosecutor said.
CNN has reached out to Mizuhara’s attorney for comment.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The following year, Johnson was arrested and charged with false pretense, grand larceny and two counts of impersonating an officer at an apartment building near Jackson State University, The Clarion Ledger reports.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Obviously, many of the true winners are all too recognizable — nobody is showing up pretending to be Emma Stone — but there are scores of below-the-line recipients pouring into these parties who are much easier to impersonate, despite El Al-like security at the doors.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The accomplished deceiver impersonated mostly top female execs like former Sony chair Amy Pascal and Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy to target industry creators with promises of career-changing work in Indonesia, only to bilk them of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Federal officials said Mizuhara arranged wire transfers from the account without Ohtani’s knowledge or permission, impersonated Ohtani during phone calls with bank employees and used biographical details from Ohtani’s life to pass security questions.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
Some social media users also claimed the men in the photo were impersonating Marines.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Drawing on phone recordings obtained from the bank, prosecutors said Mizuhara had also impersonated Ohtani to gain the bank’s approval for certain large transactions.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Mizuhara even impersonated the superstar to try to get bank employees to approve enormous wire transfers, the prosecutor said.
CNN has reached out to Mizuhara’s attorney for comment.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The following year, Johnson was arrested and charged with false pretense, grand larceny and two counts of impersonating an officer at an apartment building near Jackson State University, The Clarion Ledger reports.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Obviously, many of the true winners are all too recognizable — nobody is showing up pretending to be Emma Stone — but there are scores of below-the-line recipients pouring into these parties who are much easier to impersonate, despite El Al-like security at the doors.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The accomplished deceiver impersonated mostly top female execs like former Sony chair Amy Pascal and Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy to target industry creators with promises of career-changing work in Indonesia, only to bilk them of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024
Federal officials said Mizuhara arranged wire transfers from the account without Ohtani’s knowledge or permission, impersonated Ohtani during phone calls with bank employees and used biographical details from Ohtani’s life to pass security questions.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impersonate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near impersonate
Cite this Entry
“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt
impersonated; impersonating
: to pretend to be some other person
impersonate a police officer
impersonation
noun
-ˌpərs-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
impersonator
noun
-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər
Legal Definition
impersonate
transitive verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume (another's or a fictitious identity) without authority and with fraudulent intent
impersonate a police officer
impersonated a public servant by saying he was from the water department
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