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
Among businesses scammers reportedly impersonated, Amazon was at the top at 35%, followed by Apple at 6%.
—
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Owners of vehicles in violation can get a fix-it ticket, a citation or — if the officer determines the offender is impersonating a cop — even arrested.
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025
In the samples analyzed by researchers at Cyfirma, the attackers used apps that impersonated official digital ID tools.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Nov. 2025
That hacking campaign used fake emails impersonating Ukrainian officials that sought to fool users into infecting their own computers by clicking on malicious links.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
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Saleen Martin, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
Owners of vehicles in violation can get a fix-it ticket, a citation or — if the officer determines the offender is impersonating a cop — even arrested.
—Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025
In the samples analyzed by researchers at Cyfirma, the attackers used apps that impersonated official digital ID tools.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Nov. 2025
That hacking campaign used fake emails impersonating Ukrainian officials that sought to fool users into infecting their own computers by clicking on malicious links.
—Arkansas Online, 26 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 1 Dec. 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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