impersonate

verb

im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 

impersonated; impersonating

transitive verb

: to assume or act the character of : personate

impersonation

im-ˌpər-sə-ˈnā-shən 

noun

impersonator

im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• act
• masquerade (as)
• personate
• play
• pose (as)

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 accomplished deceiver impersonated mostly top female execs like former Sony chair Amy Pascal and Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy to target industry creators with promises of career-changing work in Indonesia, only to bilk them of hundreds of thousands of dollars. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024

Federal officials said Mizuhara arranged wire transfers from the account without Ohtani’s knowledge or permission, impersonated Ohtani during phone calls with bank employees and used biographical details from Ohtani’s life to pass security questions. —Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

He is also accused of impersonating Ohtani over the phone with the bank to approve wire transfers to the bookmakers, the DOJ said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024

The callers may be impersonating a business like your bank or another financial institution, a government agency, or an insurance company, the agency said. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

End of carousel But soon the IRS will have in place a system that could be extraordinarily helpful in protecting people from scammers impersonating the agency, according to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. —Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

The charges against Shafer include impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and writings, and attempting to file false documents. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 29 Mar. 2024

George Carlin’s estate reached a settlement this week with the creators of a comedy special that claimed to use artificial intelligence to impersonate the late comedian. —Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

Contra Amazon has said users’ Amazon One palm signature can’t be replicated to impersonate them and noted the palm’s unique characteristics including creases, friction ridges, and underlying veins. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

impersonate

verb

im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt 

impersonated; impersonating

: to pretend to be some other person

impersonate a police officer

impersonation

-ˌpərs-ᵊn-ˈā-shən

noun

impersonator

-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər

noun

Legal Definition

impersonate

transitive verb

im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 

impersonated; impersonating

: 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

impersonator

-ˌnā-tər 

noun