copycat

play

noun, often attributive copy·cat \ˈkä-pē-ˌkat\

Definition of copycat

1 : one who imitates or adopts the behavior or practices of another
2 : an imitative act or product copycat board games

See copycat defined for English-language learners

See copycat defined for kids

Examples of copycat in a Sentence

She called me a copycat for wearing the same dress.
every rock singer who makes it big soon has a whole cluster of copycats

Recent Examples of copycat from the Web

The problem for Besson's movie, besides the problems with the movie itself, is its late arrival, galumphing into theaters so many years after so many recyclers and copycats.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' review: DeHaan, Cara Delevingne on a mangled quest," 20 July 2017
Not to screw up travelers trying to navigate, but to catch copycats.

— jennifer billock, Smithsonian, "Where to See Some of the World’s Oldest and Most Interesting Maps," 18 July 2017
Several years ago, a copycat Abercrombie and Fitch website popped up online, selling pants with the same racial slur attached to the description.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Walmart Apologizes For a Product With a Racial Slur On Its Marketplace Website," 17 July 2017
Even outside the crew came several copycat producers with similar styles and high-profile clienteles to match.

— AL.com, "Southern hip-hop producers who changed the game," 10 July 2017
Meanwhile, here in the Commonwealth (God save it!), Attorney General Maura Healey has been cracking down on the production and sale of copycat assault weapons.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "You Are Now Free to Have No Health Insurance," 7 July 2017
In other words, any apps that are made with tools that produce copycat programs could be rejected from Apple's marketplace.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "Apple Is Quietly Scrubbing the App Store," 22 June 2017
Fearing copycat attacks, many Muslims urged extra security for mosques and other sites.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "Family of London attack suspect ‘massively shocked’ amid outreach to Muslim victims," 20 June 2017
The fact that Big Pharma’s first ketamine copycat will be bundled with hallucinations is no small irony.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017

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

First Known Use of copycat

1896

copycat

verb copy·cat

Definition of copycat

copycatted

;

copycatting

intransitive verb
: to act as a copycat
transitive verb
: imitate

Examples of copycat in a Sentence

asked her stylist to copycat a hairstyle from the magazine
a performer who slavishly copycats another never rises to the level of true stardom

First Known Use of copycat

1926

COPYCAT Defined for English Language Learners

copycat

play

noun

Definition of copycat for English Language Learners

: a person who does the same thing as someone else : a person who adopts the behavior, style, etc., of someone else
: something that is very similar to another thing