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

Keep scrolling for more

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

Selling 2 million copies in its first fortnight, the book has already become the best-selling hardcover of the year. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Michelle Obama “leans in” better than anyone. She just rejected the idea that it works.," 3 Dec. 2018 As noted by Bustle, Becoming sold 725 thousand copies in its first day in stores and 1.4 million in its first week. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Michelle Obama's Memoir "Becoming" Is Already the Best-Selling Hardcover Book of 2018," 1 Dec. 2018 Despite its mid-November release, Becoming has already surpassed 2 million books sold in the U.S. and Canada, more than 725,000 copies alone on its first day out. — Vogue, "Michelle Obama’s Becoming, Out Less Than a Month, Is the Best-Selling Hardcover of 2018," 30 Nov. 2018 Audi Sport Customer Racing, which sells the GT3 version of Audi's R8 sports car, has sold more than 200 copies of its R8 LMS GT3 globally. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Open mind, wide open throttle: We go to our first NASCAR race," 15 Nov. 2018 The video series reportedly sold more than 20 million copies. — USA TODAY, "The biggest exercise fad the year you were born," 12 July 2018 Set before previous games in the franchise, Fallout 76 is the follow-up to 2015’s Fallout 4, the company’s best-selling game, which sold more than 20 million copies. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Bethesda Softworks Announces 'Fallout 76' Release Date and New 'Elder Scrolls' Game," 11 June 2018 The result has me eager to get a Blu-ray copy and savor its sight-gag density. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Wreck-It Ralph 2 review: Everything we wish Ready Player One had been," 21 Nov. 2018 Devoted home bakers and admirers of Scandinavian culture alike will want to keep a copy close. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "11 Cookbooks for Every Foodie on Your List," 15 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The hackers had allegedly copied encrypted information from the Starwood reservation database. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Marriott breach leaves 500 million exposed with passport, card numbers stolen," 30 Nov. 2018 Please copy all emails to season@miamiherald.com: Classical music: Michael Hamersly, mikehamersly@gmail.com. — Jane Wooldridge, miamiherald, "Deadline for Season of the Arts is approaching. Here's how to get included.," 10 July 2018 In 2007, the company copied traditional retailers and published an online hot-holiday toy list that featured playthings expected to be in demand. — chicagotribune.com, "Amazon takes a page from Toys 'R' Us with a holiday catalog," 5 July 2018 This will copy the screenshot to your clipboard instead of saving it to your desktop. — Josie Colt, WIRED, "How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac," 5 July 2018 When people swipe their cards to make a payment, the skimmer copies the card’s data. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "Beware Credit Card Skimmers at Gas Stations This July Fourth, Secret Service Warns," 3 July 2018 And in February of last year, Melania copied another one of Jackie's black-and-white looks. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Melania Trump Channels Jackie Kennedy on Trip to Visit Detained Immigrant Children," 28 June 2018 A few of them are simply copying the business models of incumbents but with much lower costs. — The Economist, "European state rail firms face scrappy new competitors," 28 June 2018 In 2013, Instagram copied Twitter’s short-video app, Vine; four years later, Twitter shut Vine down. — Natasha Mascarenhas, SFChronicle.com, "Instagram, in challenge to YouTube, unveils new IGTV video app," 20 June 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about copy

Dictionary Entries near copy

Statistics for copy

Last Updated

10 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for copy

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

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

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