impersonate

verb im·per·son·ate \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: impersonate in a Sentence

Definition of impersonate

impersonated; impersonating

transitive verb

: to assume or act the character of : personate

—

impersonation

play \im-ˌpər-sə-ˈnā-shən\ noun

—

impersonator

play \im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnā-tər\ noun

See impersonate defined for English-language learners

See impersonate defined for kids

Examples of impersonate in a Sentence

He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
a comedian with a talent for impersonating famous politicians and actors

Recent Examples of impersonate from the Web

Smithsonian Magazine’s story on a woman who was kidnapped and forced to impersonate Aretha Franklin in 1969 is almost too wild to believe.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "City turns out for ICE protests, how to steal a house in Philly | Morning Newsletter," 2 July 2018
This disturbing tradition, while waning, lingers even today (think Aunt Jemima, whose brand owners once hired a former slave to impersonate her).

— sonia k. katyal, BostonGlobe.com, "The sudden rush of vulgar trademarks," 23 June 2018
Veronica thinks Hiram hired Cheryl's Uncle Claudius to impersonate the Black Hood, which is probably true.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "A Major Character Was Arrested During Tonight's Riverdale Finale," 16 May 2018
One morning last month, Bassante was conducting a manual sweep of accounts impersonating political candidates, something that violates Facebook's real-name policy.

— chicagotribune.com, "Facebook's battle against fake news reaches Mexico ahead of July 1 election," 23 June 2018
Clayton County police said a man impersonating an officer attacked and stole money from another man in Hampton Friday night.

— zachary hansen, ajc, "Cops: Man impersonating Clayton County deputy attacks, steals money from driver," 9 June 2018
In addition to impersonating an officer, Ray faces charges of kidnapping, misconduct involving weapons, endangerment, reckless driving and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Forghani said.

— nathan j. fish, azcentral, "Ex-Pinal County Sheriff's Explorer accused of impersonating police officer," 5 June 2018
Rodriguez faces felony charges of child endangerment and impersonating police, according to the sheriff’s office.

— jared gilmour, sacbee, "Fake cop’s badge and gun didn’t fool mom — so she quietly hatched a plan, LA deputies say," 11 June 2018
Caldwell police arrested bounty hunters Kevin M. Ratigan and David Manery on Wednesday, and the two are charged with felony impersonating an officer.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "2 Idaho bounty hunters accused of impersonating police, then arrested by real officers," 7 June 2018

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

First Known Use of impersonate

1715

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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impersonate Synonyms

Synonyms

act, do, interpret, perform, play, portray;

Related Words

depict, dramatize, render, represent;

act out, enact, pantomime, playact, role-play, take on;

overact, overplay, underplay;

ape, clown, ham, imitate, masquerade, mime, mimic, pose (as);

star (in);

coact, costar;

IMPERSONATE Defined for English Language Learners

impersonate

verb

Definition of impersonate for English Language Learners

: to pretend to be (another person)

IMPERSONATE Defined for Kids

impersonate

verb im·per·son·ate \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt \

Definition of impersonate for Students

impersonated; impersonating

: to pretend to be another person

Synonym Discussion of impersonate

impersonate, play, and act mean to pretend to be somebody else. impersonate is used when someone tries to look and sound like another person as much as possible.