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
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
—
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Last year, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly reprimanded and admonished Givens, citing conduct that included allowing a staff member to impersonate her during a 2021 bond hearing and taking action in cases after she had been recused.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Through display-name spoofing, attackers impersonate LastPass support staff and send messages suggesting urgent action is needed to protect the account.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
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.
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Last year, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly reprimanded and admonished Givens, citing conduct that included allowing a staff member to impersonate her during a 2021 bond hearing and taking action in cases after she had been recused.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Through display-name spoofing, attackers impersonate LastPass support staff and send messages suggesting urgent action is needed to protect the account.
—James Peckham, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 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 11 Mar. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
