copycat

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

Now a viral sensation, Fox’s backflip challenge has racked up millions of views on Facebook and Instagram and spawned copycats.

— danielle ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Columbia native starts latest viral craze, the Backflip Challenge," 17 Aug. 2017
Rock and Roll Chili Pit isn't selling a copycat, Haraguchi said.

— maxine bernstein, OregonLive.com, "Burger battle heats up in court between competing Portland businesses," 11 Aug. 2017
That kind of copycat engineering is an idea that would be unthinkable now.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Watch 99 Years of American Tanks in One GIF," 3 Aug. 2017
The question is whether this particular study, or any of the allegations that the show directly led to copycat suicides and suicide attempts, will be enough of an impetus for the show’s producers to respond.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Did 13 Reasons Why Spark a Suicide Contagion Effect?," 1 Aug. 2017
Unsuspecting tourists can end up at the copycat place instead of the real deal.

— alison bowen, Detroit Free Press, "Street food isn't as scary on a guided food tour in Hanoi," 22 July 2017
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
Novartis is turning to newer medicines such as the heart drug Entresto, psoriasis treatment Cosentyx and Kisqali for breast cancer to help counter a decline in sales of its blockbuster Gleevec, which is losing ground to cheaper copycat drugs.

— james paton, star-telegram, "Struggling Alcon shows some progress as Novartis weighs spinoff," 18 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

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 Synonyms

Synonyms

aper, copyist, echo, follower, imitator, rubber stamp, wannabe (also wannabee)

Related Words

parrot; ape, emulator, impersonator, impressionist, mimic

copycat

verb

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 Synonyms

Synonyms

clone, copy, duplicate, imitate, reduplicate, render, replicate, reproduce

Antonyms

originate

Related Words

counterfeit, fake, forge, knock off, rip off; mimic, simulate; reconstruct, re-create

Near Antonyms

create, imagine, initiate, invent

COPYCAT Defined for English Language Learners

copycat

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