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
Luckily for her, Lawrence didn’t have to impersonate anybody on her episode, which featured musical guest the Lumineers.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Still bolder spammers have even tried to impersonate famous musicians, such as when prog rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard pulled their music from Spotify in protest of the platform’s stance on AI, only to be replaced by AI clones.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 Jan. 2026
The Broward Sheriff’s Office issued its first public warning about the scam in December, though at the time it was limited to people impersonating law enforcement.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
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Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Still bolder spammers have even tried to impersonate famous musicians, such as when prog rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard pulled their music from Spotify in protest of the platform’s stance on AI, only to be replaced by AI clones.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 Jan. 2026
The Broward Sheriff’s Office issued its first public warning about the scam in December, though at the time it was limited to people impersonating law enforcement.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Cite this Entry
“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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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