imitate

verb

im·i·tate | \ ˈi-mə-ˌtāt

imitated; imitating

Definition of imitate

transitive verb

1 : to follow as a pattern, model, or example

2 : mimic, counterfeit can imitate his father's booming voice

3 : to be or appear like : resemble

4 : to produce a copy of : reproduce

Other Words from imitate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about imitate

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Choose the Right Synonym for imitate

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

Examples of imitate in a Sentence

Her style has been imitated by many other writers. He's very good at imitating his father's voice. She can imitate the calls of many different birds.

Recent Examples on the Web

Little girls in party dresses scurried behind, imitating her moves. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "Foreign Belly Dancers? Egyptians Shake Their Heads (and Hips)," 8 July 2018 It was imitated by the likes of Switzerland’s Omega, which bought modules from Pulsar for its own Pulsar-like LEDs. — Bloomberg.com, "Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Meets With President Trump," 27 Feb. 2018 And life imitated art during the making of the film. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "The Stunning Capernaum Tells a Gripping Tale of Refugees in Lebanon," 13 Dec. 2018 Trump said, imitating Dr. Ford’s statement that she wasn’t intoxicated when the alleged 1982 incident occurred. — Vivian Salama, WSJ, "Trump: Mockery of Christine Blasey Ford “Doesn’t Matter. We Won.”," 14 Oct. 2018 Preliminary research outlined in the Journal of Arachnology suggests that the leaf-imitating spider is a new biological species, but more study is needed to confirm this. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Newly Discovered Spider Looks Suspiciously Like a Leaf," 16 Nov. 2016 The Tenth Street scene of the late 1950s and early ’60s is often remembered as a faint echo of the Abstract Expressionist boom immediately following World War II, too obsessed with imitating Pollock and Kline to surpass them. — Jackson Arn, WSJ, "‘Goodbye to Tenth Street’ Review: A Final Sweeping," 15 Feb. 2019 View this post on Instagram Life | imitates | art A post shared by Zoë Kravitz (@zoeisabellakravitz) on Oct 28, 2018 at 4:58pm PDT Having actual Lenny Kravitz as your dad might seem like a total dream, but Zoë says otherwise. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Zoë Kravitz Says Having Such Cool Parents Left Her Feeling "Intimidated" While Growing Up," 26 Nov. 2018 This week, an account imitating The Verge was making the same pitch in Facebook comments. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "Facebook imposters are trying to swindle users out of bitcoin," 18 Dec. 2018

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

History and Etymology for imitate

borrowed from Latin imitātus, past participle of imitārī "to follow as a pattern, copy," frequentative derivative of a presumed verb *imā- "make a copy," perhaps going back to Indo-European *h₂im-, whence also Hittite hima-, himma- "substitute, replica, toy"

Note: Aside from Hittite, evidence for an etymon *h₂im- is lacking. See also etymology and note at emulous.

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