copycat

noun, often attributive

copy·cat | \ ˈkä-pē-ˌkat

Definition of copycat

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one who imitates or adopts the behavior or practices of another

2 : an imitative act or product copycat board games

copycat

verb

copycatted; copycatting

Definition of copycat (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to act as a copycat

transitive verb

: imitate

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about copycat

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of copycat in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Since the shooting, almost 800 schools across the country have received copycat threats about gun violence. — Alix Langone, Time, "This Republican Politician Jokingly Threatens a Teen With a Gun in His New Campaign Ad," 2 May 2018 As the 20th anniversary of the massacre neared, The New York Times reported that locals in Jefferson County, home to Columbine High School, are still grappling with the trauma of that day, even as copycats have plagued the town for years. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "On the Columbine Shooting's 20th Anniversary, How Do We Make Sense of Senseless Violence?," 20 Apr. 2019 By the time Epic could seize on what the genre was missing, the whole scene had already become synonymous with impenetrability and disingenuous copycats. — Steven Strom, Ars Technica, "How Epic’s Fortnite rose from the ashes of Paragon’s failure," 11 May 2018 His work on inducing mature cells to revert into stem cells was met with amazement and dogged by copycats. — Eric Felten, WSJ, "‘Borrowed Time’ Review: The Long Ramp to the Final Exit," 21 Feb. 2019 WeWork WeWork modernized the coworking space, and the sector now includes countless copycats. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "A breakdown of this year’s brand winners and losers.," 27 Dec. 2018 Bigger isn’t better—proximity as an enhancer of player development The World Cup creates copycats. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Quarterfinal Stage a Narrative Tipping Point for World Cup Contenders," 5 July 2018 In the wake of the Gatwick events, there is a threat of copycats targeting other airports, according to industry officials. — Robert Wall, WSJ, "Counterdrone Technologies Face Slow Ramp-Up at Airports Globally," 2 Jan. 2019 Italians reported more than 20 cases throughout the country, some of which police attributed to the work of copycats. — Rebecca Jennings, Vox, "Needles in strawberries, cyanide in Tylenol: the long history of product tampering," 21 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Kardashian-Jenners are no strangers to copycat controversy. — Zoë Weiner, Teen Vogue, "People Accuse Kim Kardashian of Copying Urban Decay With Her KKW Beauty Cherry Blossom Collection," 12 Sep. 2018 Wentz’s impact is obvious, and Roseman’s moves influenced the Bears to copycat him with a similarly heavy commitment to the position a year later (bringing in Mike Glennon, Mark Sanchez and then Mitch Trubisky). — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Cleveland Browns Won’t Be Starting From Scratch in Evaluating the Draft’s Top Quarterbacks," 25 Jan. 2018 Now that the company is public, however, all eyes are on Snap to show huge growth, especially as Facebook’s (fb, +0.23%) competing Instagram service consistently debuts copycat features and tries to steal users. — Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, "After Rocky Year, CEO Evan Spiegel Is Still Happy Snap Went Public," 16 Feb. 2018 These individual cases, then, could not be attributed to copycat behavior. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "The woman who sweats blood from her palms and her face," 24 Oct. 2017 This copycat approach to investing has led to crushing losses for people tantalized by astronomical gains in the past. — Gail Marksjarvis, chicagotribune.com, "Why investors should be wary of bitcoin," 31 Aug. 2017 For now, police vans serve as deterrents to copycat assaults until Barcelona installs protective barriers. — Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, "In Barcelona, Crowds March Defiantly for Peace After Terrorist Attacks," 26 Aug. 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.