impersonate

verb

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im·per·son·ate | \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt

impersonated; impersonating

Definition of impersonate

transitive verb

: to assume or act the character of : personate

Other Words from impersonate Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about impersonate

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Other Words from impersonate

impersonation \ im-ˌpər-sə-ˈnā-shən

\ noun

impersonator \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun

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 on the Web The Globetrotters, er, the Hawks simply embarrassed the Celtics, who did their best to impersonate the Washington Generals in the first half, challenging their pride with a series of plays that should have served as personal insults. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Is there any end in sight to the Celtics’ woeful stretch?," 25 Feb. 2021 In the first episode, the alien brutally murders the real Dr. Vanderspeigle in order to impersonate him. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Captain Comics: Get to know Harry Vanderspeigle," 6 Feb. 2021 Twitter eventually removed the @GovBlago account, prompting Mr. Hall to impersonate someone else in the headlines: Dr. Birx, the White House official working on the pandemic. — New York Times, "He Pretended to Be Trump’s Family. Then Trump Fell for It.," 8 Dec. 2020 Technology exists such that the average person can easily mock up a screenshot of direct messages or impersonate a celebrity online. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, "Why Is Armie Hammer Trending on Twitter? Let's Investigate," 11 Jan. 2021 Once inside a victim's network, attackers can access the organization's global administrator account or other authorization credentials and impersonate existing users and accounts, the Microsoft Security Response Center said. — Grant Gross, Washington Examiner, "Highly skilled hackers breach US agencies and private companies," 17 Dec. 2020 In other cases, the con artists impersonate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Scams likely to heat up after COVID-19 vaccine rollout," 11 Dec. 2020 The lures were highly tailored and targeted, designed to impersonate executives within and outside Arweave. — Robert Hackett, Fortune, "Are Chinese spies trying to hack this anticensorship startup? Its execs believe so," 5 Nov. 2020 With the initial supply of the first Covid-19 vaccines allocated to health care personnel and long-term care facilities, health and security officials have already identified phishing scams in which perpetrators impersonate health care workers. — NBC News, "Health experts warn of potential Covid-19 vaccine scam phone calls," 16 Dec. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

2 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for impersonate

impersonate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of impersonate

: to pretend to be (another person)

See the full definition for impersonate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

impersonate

verb

im·per·son·ate | \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt

impersonated; impersonating

Kids Definition of impersonate

: to pretend to be another person

Choose the Right Synonym for 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. You're good at impersonating celebrities. play is used when someone takes a part in a play, movie, or TV show. You can play the part of the spy. act may be used in situations other than performing in a drama or pretending to be a person. Act like you're a dog.

impersonate

transitive verb

im·per·son·ate | \ im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt

impersonated; impersonating

Legal Definition of impersonate

: to assume (another's or a fictitious identity) without authority and with fraudulent intent impersonate a police officer impersonated a public servant by saying he was from the water department