impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume or act the character of : personate
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
In the real world, a fake account impersonates a golfer, initiates contact, then quickly shifts the conversation to Telegram or WhatsApp.
—
Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025
The jury also added charges of felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating a police officer with an aggravating factor of driving a vehicle that looked like a police car.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2025
Boelter now faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder along with charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty for shooting the Hortman’s dog.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025
Amazon password attacks are now driving headlines, as hackers impersonate the retail giant with malicious messages to steal passwords and access accounts.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
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Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025
The jury also added charges of felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating a police officer with an aggravating factor of driving a vehicle that looked like a police car.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2025
Boelter now faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder along with charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty for shooting the Hortman’s dog.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025
Amazon password attacks are now driving headlines, as hackers impersonate the retail giant with malicious messages to steal passwords and access accounts.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Cite this Entry
“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
noun
-ˌpərs-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
impersonator
noun
-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər
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
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