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
The most common scheme: impersonating public figures to promote fraudulent investments, which has already resulted in $401 million in losses.
—
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner received a call from someone impersonating himself to be a banker at JPMorgan Chase on Feb. 19, which led to the eventual bank heist.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025
The Washington Post reported that other State Department personnel were impersonated by email.
—James Powel, USA Today, 9 July 2025
The cable noted that the campaign to impersonate Rubio echoed another effort to impersonate unnamed senior U.S. officials that was investigated by the FBI in May.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
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Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner received a call from someone impersonating himself to be a banker at JPMorgan Chase on Feb. 19, which led to the eventual bank heist.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025
The Washington Post reported that other State Department personnel were impersonated by email.
—James Powel, USA Today, 9 July 2025
The cable noted that the campaign to impersonate Rubio echoed another effort to impersonate unnamed senior U.S. officials that was investigated by the FBI in May.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 8 July 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 15 Jul. 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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