copy

noun

\ ˈkä-pē

plural copies

Definition of copy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an imitation, transcript, or reproduction of an original work (such as a letter, a painting, a table, or a dress)

2 : one of a series of especially mechanical reproductions of an original impression also : an individual example of such a reproduction

3 archaic : something to be imitated : model

4a : matter to be set especially for printing

b : something considered printable or newsworthy —used without an article remarks that make good copy— Norman Cousins

c : text especially of an advertisement

5 : duplicate sense 1a a copy of a computer file a copy of a gene

copy

verb

copied; copying; copies

Definition of copy (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to make a copy or duplicate of copy a document copy a computer file

2 : to model oneself on

3 in radio/military communications : to acknowledge receipt of (a message) The operator of the Titanic was busy figuring his accounts and did not bother to copy the message. A little later in the afternoon, another ship named the Baltic called the Titanic to tell her about icebergs that were in her way.— Rev. Robert P. Lawrence

intransitive verb

1 : to make a copy

2 : to undergo copying the map did not copy well

3 in radio/military communications : to acknowledge receipt and understanding of a message "Block the road with your car. Take no other action. … No resistance, do you copy? Over."— Stephen King

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about copy

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Choose the Right Synonym for copy

Noun

reproduction, duplicate, copy, facsimile, replica mean a thing made to closely resemble another. reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing. reproductions from the museum's furniture collection duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing. a duplicate of a house key copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically. printed 1000 copies of the lithograph facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale. a facsimile of a rare book replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details a replica of the Mayflower but not always in the same scale. miniature replicas of classic cars

Verb

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, slavish, 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

Verb

copy, imitate, and mimic mean to make something so that it resembles something else. copy means trying to duplicate a thing as much as possible. Copy this drawing exactly. imitate means that a person uses something as an example but does not try to make an exact copy. They imitated the actions of their parents. mimic means carefully copying something (as a person's voice) often for the purpose of making fun of it. The comedian mimicked a popular singer.

Examples of copy in a Sentence

Noun

The novel has sold more than a million copies. She got a job writing advertising copy. All copy must be submitted by 5 p.m.

Verb

She copied the design on a piece of paper. Copy the file to your hard drive. The bills are designed to prevent copying by counterfeiters. We caught him copying the answers out of the book. We caught him copying out of the book. The speech was copied word for word. His music was copied widely. Their competitors soon copied the idea.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Back then, Jeffree would steal his mother's eye shadows and copy looks from fashion ads in his mother's magazines. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Everything You Need to Know About Makeup Guru Jeffree Star," 9 Apr. 2019 After a stint in news — working as a Miami Herald copy boy in college and as a reporter for the Chicago Daily after graduation — Ross became involved with the National Urban League, after being inspired by activist Saul Alinsky. — Elizabeth Finny, miamiherald, "He marched for civil rights — and wrote a song about pastrami. Sherwood Ross has died at 85," 1 July 2018 But people familiar with the matter said Mr. Barr did send a copy to Emmet Flood, the White House lawyer handling the Mueller probe. — Rebecca Ballhaus, WSJ, "Democrats Criticize Barr Over Mueller Memo; Nomination Proceeds," 20 Dec. 2018 Richardson sent us a copy of the coverage map as it was displayed on his phone on Wednesday. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "We finally talked to an actual Waymo passenger—here’s what he told us," 13 Dec. 2018 Those same expats swear by the tailors at Hoa Fashion, up by West Lake, for expert copies of dresses, tops, pants, and jackets. — Peter Jon Lindberg, Condé Nast Traveler, "Hanoi, Time and Again," 20 Nov. 2018 The press has been sent copies of an alleged complaint, yet to our knowledge Showtime has not been served. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Roy Moore says he's suing Sacha Baron Cohen, Showtime, CBS over 'Who Is America?' interview," 6 Sep. 2018 Both of these new examples are less obtrusive than the most famous Apple push notification, which informed more than 500 million people that Apple had purchased and given them a free copy of U2’s Songs of Innocence. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Apple sent iPhone owners unwanted push notifications to promote Carpool Karaoke," 18 Dec. 2018 Cox, a Chanute resident, also gave customers copies of the Second Amendment Protection Act, which was passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2013 and signed by then-Gov. — Roxana Hegeman, The Seattle Times, "Ruling: Kansas gun law no defense to federal firearm charges," 16 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

As vehicle-warranty administrator, Mr. Mort spends his time copying serial numbers, submitting warranty repair orders, tracking claims, and managing databases. — Eric Morath, WSJ, "America’s Hidden Workforce Returns," 26 Jan. 2019 This low-maintenance outfit is probably already on your closet, so if you're strapped for time, just copy Ciara's look. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "10 Instagram-Worthy Ways to Wear Boyfriend Jeans," 8 Jan. 2019 According to Ferguson’s complaint, Epic is copying videos frame-by-frame to create the dances, a case of straightforward copying. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Fortnite keeps stealing dances — and no one knows if it’s illegal," 20 Dec. 2018 No longer: Sunny Cove extends virtual addresses to 57 meaningful bits (with the top 7 bits again either all zeroes or all ones, copying bit 56), with physical memory addresses of up to 52 bits. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Intel unveils a new architecture for 2019: Sunny Cove," 12 Dec. 2018 Some user finally flagged the video to Facebook 12 minutes later, but by then it had been copied to the internet’s darker lairs. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Internet and Evil," 20 Mar. 2019 In addition to inspiring the style of thousands (okay, more like millions) of living, breathing fans, Meghan's looks are now being copied by inanimate objects. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Bloomingdale's Dresses Mannequin Like Meghan Markle on International Women's Day," 10 Mar. 2019 Once the disk image has been copied to the SD card, pull it out and put it into the Pi, and then plug the Pi into the display with an HDMI cable, plug a controller or keyboard in, and then connect to power. — Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: One-upping the NES Classic Edition with the Raspberry Pi 3 and RetroPie," 30 June 2018 Israel uses drip irrigation, which saves water and could be copied. — The Economist, "Climate change is making the Arab world more miserable," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'copy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for copy

copy

noun

English Language Learners Definition of copy

(Entry 1 of 2)

: something that is or looks exactly or almost exactly like something else : a version of something that is identical or almost identical to the original

: one of the many books, magazines, albums, DVDs, etc., that are exactly the same and are produced to be sold or given to the public

: written information that is to be published in a newspaper, magazine, etc.

copy

verb

English Language Learners Definition of copy (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make a version of (something) that is exactly or almost exactly like the original : to make a copy or duplicate of (something)

: to write (something) down exactly as it appears somewhere else

: to use (someone else's words or ideas) as your own

See the full definition for copy in the English Language Learners Dictionary

copy

noun

\ ˈkä-pē

plural copies

Kids Definition of copy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something that is made to look exactly like something else : duplicate a copy of a letter a copy of a painting

2 : one of the total number of books, magazines, or papers printed at one time She owns a copy of a popular atlas.

3 : written material to be published

copy

verb

copied; copying

Kids Definition of copy (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to make a duplicate of

2 : imitate sense 1

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copy

Definition of copy

Synonyms & Antonyms for copy

Choose the Right Synonym for copy

Examples of copy in a Sentence

First Known Use of copy

History and Etymology for copy

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The first known use of copy was in the 14th century

English Language Learners Definition of copy

Kids Definition of copy

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copy

Definition of copy

Synonyms & Antonyms for copy

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Examples of copy in a Sentence

First Known Use of copy

History and Etymology for copy

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Statistics for copy

The first known use of copy was in the 14th century

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Kids Definition of copy

WORD OF THE DAY

resurrection

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