imitate

1 of 2

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

imitator

2 of 2

noun

im·​i·​ta·​tor ˈiməˌtātə(r) 

-ātə-

plural -s

: one that imitates : one that gives or produces imitations

Synonyms of imitate

Verb

• 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

Verb

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

Verb

The undulating roofline imitates the Allegheny Mountains, and 38 steel columns create a canopy reminiscent of the region's forests, Prix Versailles says. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 15 June 2026

As a 7-year-old, I’d entertain my father’s friends, at their weekly pickup game at a Bronx barn-house gymnasium, by imitating his game face—bottom lip jutting, eyes scowling. —Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026

My mother imitates me, then converts the word into a pair of Korean syllables that sound most like the German. —Esther Yi, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Beyond how-to books, the United States offered few means of studying art, few great paintings to imitate, and, thanks to American prudery, few chances to master the complex arrangements of human bodies considered indispensable to art’s most profound forms. —Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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.

Noun

Latin, from imitatus (past participle of imitari to imitate) + -or

First Known Use

Verb

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for imitate

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

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