emulate

1 of 2

verb

em·​u·​late ˈem-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce emulate (audio)
-yü-
emulated; emulating

transitive verb

1
a
: to strive to equal or excel
b
: imitate
especially : to imitate by means of an emulator
2
: to equal or approach equality with

emulate

2 of 2

adjective

em·​u·​late ˈem-yə-lət How to pronounce emulate (audio)
obsolete
: emulous sense 1b
pricked on by a most emulate prideWilliam Shakespeare

Did you know?

If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then past speakers of English clearly had a great admiration for the Latin language. The verb emulate joined the ranks of Latin-derived English terms in the 16th century. It comes from aemulus, a Latin term for "rivaling" or "envious." Two related adjectives—emulate and emulous—appeared within a half-century of the verb emulate. Both mean "striving to emulate; marked by a desire to imitate or rival" or sometimes "jealous," but emulous is rare these days and the adjective emulate is obsolete. The latter did have a brief moment of glory, however, when William Shakespeare used it in Hamlet:

 "Our last king,

 Whose image even but now appear'd to us,

 Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,

 Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,

 Dar'd to the combat...."

Examples of emulate in a Sentence

Verb If you are talking to someone younger, do not condescend. If you are talking to someone older, back up feelings with facts and never be in such a rush to make your point that you forget the art of listening. And please, no one try to emulate the histrionic, discursive style of any talking heads you see on television. William Norwich, Vogue, 9 Sept. 2008
Although some schools are postponing new projects because of the faltering economy, others are forging ahead with plans to emulate freshman programs that have long existed at some of the nation's oldest colleges. Jeninne Lee-St. John, Time, 27 Oct. 2008
I started out emulating Chandler in that first book, maybe the first book and a half, because I was in my novitiate, and whenever I wasn't clear on what to do I would actively think about Chandler and what Marlow would have done. Robert B. Parker et al., Colloquium on Crime, 1986
She grew up emulating her sports heroes. artists emulating the style of their teachers
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
There’s a widespread disregard for decency and decorum among our modern political class, which appears incapable of providing a model of virtuous behavior for the broader public to emulate. Guy Denton, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024 The practice began decades ago as local narcos sought to emulate Colombian drug lords like Pablo Escobar, who famously stocked private zoos with giraffes, elephants and hippos. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024 As the show progresses, Bossom added, Teresa begins to emulate Spade’s speech patterns. Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 Roach’s nervous attempt to emulate the style of Basie drum legend Jo Jones led to a gentle reprimand from Young, who stressed to the young drummer the importance of being original and finding his own voice and vision. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2024 The forested area had a rudimentary bathroom where a toilet seat was attached to four vertical plastic poles to emulate a very basic toilet. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024 The American Idol host co-founded the company behind Typo, a keyboard that emulated the famous BlackBerry keyboard so well that BlackBerry won $860,000 from Typo in a patent violation lawsuit, effectively shuttering the company (despite its attempts at a less infringe-y Typo 2). Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 5 Jan. 2024 These freestyle braids take the shape of mesmerizing twirls, swirls, and symbols that emulate hieroglyphic script hiding a celestial message. Oyetunde Olubowale, Allure, 20 Dec. 2023 Genuine leather isn't for everyone, and the Monos Metro Backpack has found a way to emulate the look of real leather while keeping it vegan. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2024 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Latin aemulātus, past participle of aemulārī "to vie with, rival, imitate," derivative of aemulus "rivaling, emulous"

Adjective

borrowed from Latin aemulātus — more at emulate entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1602, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emulate was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near emulate

Cite this Entry

“Emulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emulate. Accessed 28 Jan. 2024.

Kids Definition

emulate

verb
em·​u·​late
ˈem-yə-ˌlāt
emulated; emulating
: to try to be like or better than
emulator
-ˌlāt-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on emulate

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