impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume or act the character of : personate
impersonating a police officer
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
If targets dispute the claims, they are transferred to another caller, who impersonates Chinese law enforcement.
—
Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Louisville Metro Police arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly impersonating a police officer in a video posted to social media.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Nov. 2025
In a shocking twist, Golyar had been impersonating Farver all along.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Their plan for stealing it right out from under her involves everything from impersonating a Vanity Fair photographer to having Daniel crash the party with a big speech that’s a masterpiece of indirection.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Louisville Metro Police arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly impersonating a police officer in a video posted to social media.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Nov. 2025
In a shocking twist, Golyar had been impersonating Farver all along.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Their plan for stealing it right out from under her involves everything from impersonating a Vanity Fair photographer to having Daniel crash the party with a big speech that’s a masterpiece of indirection.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Nov. 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 18 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share