as in to play
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
likes to personate the man of the world, but he's still the small-town hick that he always was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 personate
Till’s motifs swept though the ensemble, as horns, clarinets, bassoons, violin all had a chance to personate the character.
—
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
-
Fashion and sociology experts say that, when examining the significance of any bold fashion statement such as Robbie's, context plays an important role.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Yankees played an integral part in the remembrance of 9/11.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The account that had impersonated him, after blowing up on @joma_gc, deactivated and removed all of its information from the page.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Hortman was killed alongside her husband in their Brooklyn Park home by a man allegedly impersonating a police officer.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advanced adversaries are now using generative AI to construct deepfake biometrics, complete PII profiles with believable digital histories and even replicate consistent interaction patterns that imitate human behavior.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In the image, the president is also backdropped by a city beach covered with fire and smoke, seemingly imitating an active war zone.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While the performative male has been mocked online for appearing inauthentic, Rosen and Park see it as a net positive that men are making an effort to develop genuine taste and veer away from leather recliners with cup holders and T-shirts as pillowcases.—
Viv Chen,
Architectural Digest,
9 Sep. 2025
-
His friend Daniel Georges, humorously and wisely played by arthouse favorite Isaach De Bankolé, is a priest who tries to get him on the right track, even sending him articles from the Catholic Worker, only for Robbie to mock him by knocking on the table and asking if God’s inside the linoleum.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While some Hamas apologists have portrayed the word as benign, its real meaning is undeniably violent — and not just for Israelis.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Somehow, they’re portrayed as heroic trials of love, requiring sacrifice, trust and resilience.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The sound department actually played the music that would overlay the scene as Dockery acted.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
How much has Charlie Sheen earned from acting?—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share