mimic 1 of 3

mimic

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adjective

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mimic

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noun

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as in mime
an actor in a story performed silently and entirely by body movements a mimic in black clothes and white facial makeup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mimic distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of mimic are ape, copy, imitate, and mock. While all these words mean "to make something so that it resembles an existing thing," mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

Where would ape be a reasonable alternative to mimic?

While in some cases nearly identical to mimic, ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

When would copy be a good substitute for mimic?

The words copy and mimic can be used in similar contexts, but copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

When could imitate be used to replace mimic?

The meanings of imitate and mimic largely overlap; however, imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

In what contexts can mock take the place of mimic?

In some situations, the words mock and mimic are roughly equivalent. However, mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Example 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 mimic
Verb
Grain-free cat food features animal protein as the primary ingredient and is perfect for owners who want to mimic their cat’s natural diet and those with cats that are allergic or sensitive to grain. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025 McKinley directly mimics O’Neill’s style multiple times in the play, even paraphrasing famous speeches, but the archness and old-school theatricality of O’Neill is largely missing. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
Adjective
Sting is also a mimic, able to copy Charlotte’s whistle, even though, as the slightly creepy would-be scientist living upstairs tells her, spiders don’t have vocal cords. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024 These JLab earbuds come in 16 colors, including seven that closely mimic skin tones. Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 8 May 2024
Noun
Males try to mate with infected mimics, females are drawn in by the performance, and the fungus passes silently between them all. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025 Future studies may also explore whether other highly skilled vocal mimics, such as lyrebirds, share similar neural structures, offering further clues into the evolution of speech. Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mimic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mimic
Verb
  • But as these systems gained the ability to imitate reasoning, planning, and decision-making among options, emergent behaviors began raising red flags.
    Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Some fireworks transcend the standard pops and booms to imitate a non-fiery object.
    Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • To convert these advantages into productive capacity, the United States should selectively emulate today’s preeminent manufacturing powerhouse and rediscover its own ability to build fast and build well.
    Damien Ma, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
  • Scorpio Mysterious, magnetic, and maybe just a little bit dangerous: Scorpio, your jewelry needs to match your passion and emulate your true inner light to the outside world.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • McMahon looked down on what wrestling had been, events where storytelling took place in the ring through simulated fights.
    Marc Raimondi June 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
  • The Field Day gives radio operators a chance to test their skills under simulated emergency conditions using only alternative power sources such as solar panels, batteries and generators.
    Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
  • The word was likely imitative of the deep humming sound male bees make.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • As for populating those living Polaroids, dancers and mimes were hired so that they were better trained to stand still in the correct positions.
    Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
  • Movement coordinator Polly Bennett helped craft each actor’s pose, but the fact that they were stopped halfway through a gesture put a strain on even the highest-caliber mime.
    Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Fun factoid: Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) talking on the shoe phone has been parodied by many comedians over the years.
    Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Dawn of the Dead has been parodied and referenced many times since, including Shaun of the Dead, the video game series Dead Rising, and a remake that's good enough to appear later on this list, but none of its successors quite captured the level of dread and malaise the original does.
    James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Geraghty told the foundation that Dohn's comprehensive instruction plan for the 2024-25 school year was late because Davenport was the only Dohn employee copied on those reminder emails.
    Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
  • Luxury athletic brand Lululemon is suing Costco, claiming the wholesale giant copied several of its signature designs, selling them at lower prices under its Kirkland Signature brand.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • In Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa decided to ban synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, forcing millions of Sri Lanka’s farmers to go organic.
    Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Additionally, the Kraft Heinz Company will phase out synthetic dyes from the roughly 10% of its US portfolio that still contains them before the end of 2027.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mimic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mimic. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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