1
: mime sense 2
She's a talented mimic.
2
: one that mimics
mimicked
ˈmi-mikt 
; mimicking
; mimicking
Synonyms
Examples of mimic in a Sentence
Noun
a gifted mimic who can do a terrific imitation of anyone's voice
a mimic in black clothes and white facial makeup
Adjective
police were concerned that the mimic gun, although intended only as a toy, might be confused with the real thing in certain situations
a mimic battle fought by kids playing around in the schoolyard
Verb
The lamp mimics natural sunlight.
a butterfly that mimics a leaf
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Recent Examples on the Web
Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
This has led to the development of chemical mimics of GLP-1, like semaglutide.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
The situation is so dire that one startup has created mimics of the mRNA vaccines in use to help researchers improve their formulations.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 30 May 2023
The result is essentially a two-tier business model where lonely guys looking for a 3 a.m. chat session can talk with Marjorie’s machine mimic, while die-hard fans willing to shell out a bit more can pay for the genuine article.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
The evolution of synthetic biology has allowed such companies to create mimics of the real thing, such as methyl jasmonate—a fragrance that evokes the same tea-like, moon-blooming scent of white jasmine petals—as well as a musk alternative that eliminates the need to source from animals.
—Austa Somvichian-Clausen, Robb Report, 11 June 2023
Several important features of real embryos are present in the mimics, the team says, including the predecessors of sperm and eggs and the beginnings of the amnion, the membrane-like structure that encloses the embryo in a watery environment.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 17 June 2023
Staters Of the coins found in Brandenburg, 19 are staters — mimics of the gold and silver coins found in ancient Greece.
—Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2023
Graham Taylor, who started Helix Biotech last year, says labs have shown that their mimics trigger similar immune responses to the real McCoy.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 30 May 2023
Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
And instead of conducting an underwater band, Sebastian (played by Daveed Diggs) now kicks off a massive dance party, complete with toe-tapping sea turtles, spinning mimic octopuses, waving flatworms and ascending luminescent jellyfish.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023
Instead of masquerading as a dangerous creature, an aggressive mimic poses as one that’s benign.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
ChatGPT was unveiled to the public in November and was quickly taken up by millions of users impressed with its ability to clearly answer difficult questions, mimic writing styles, write sonnets and papers and even pass exams.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 Apr. 2023
Lead can get into the brain, mimic calcium in these calcium-binding domains and cause aberrant protein activity as a result.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Nov. 2021
So these drugs in a sense mimic, at least to some degree, an eating disorder.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2023
The advantage of this approach, where only the boundaries have actuators, is that the system is easier to control and build than systems that more precisely mimic biology, and the mechanical constraints make the cascading dominoes easy to apply to different scales.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2023
Ross cautions that the system isn’t a perfect skin mimic.
—WIRED, 9 Feb. 2023
Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023
This fictional phone call mimics a real moment that Harry and William reflected on in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
—Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
So, Tarsem didn’t need to visually mimic Gladiator.
—Jamie Bryan, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2023
Grace was responsible for creating several of the looks on real life hair models for the 3D artists and programmers to mimic virtually.
—Akili King, Essence, 15 Nov. 2023
For more than 70 years, fusion research has largely focused on mimicking the inside of the sun in reactors known as tokamaks, which trap superhot hydrogen gas within strong magnetic fields so that atoms will collide and fuse.
—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Synthetic materials, like polyester or rayon, are much more budget friendly than down and can work as down alternatives to mimic the fluffiness of feathers.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023
It was generated using new AI software that can mimic people’s voices.
—Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 14 Nov. 2023
Now, researchers have created a new organic electronic device that can react to light, transmit signals using ions and remember the amount of signal that has previously flowed through it, which mimics the way neurons in the retina operate.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Nov. 2023
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Noun
The pharmacological mimics of GLP-1 can also have these effects in the body.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
This has led to the development of chemical mimics of GLP-1, like semaglutide.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
The situation is so dire that one startup has created mimics of the mRNA vaccines in use to help researchers improve their formulations.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 30 May 2023
The result is essentially a two-tier business model where lonely guys looking for a 3 a.m. chat session can talk with Marjorie’s machine mimic, while die-hard fans willing to shell out a bit more can pay for the genuine article.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
The evolution of synthetic biology has allowed such companies to create mimics of the real thing, such as methyl jasmonate—a fragrance that evokes the same tea-like, moon-blooming scent of white jasmine petals—as well as a musk alternative that eliminates the need to source from animals.
—Austa Somvichian-Clausen, Robb Report, 11 June 2023
Several important features of real embryos are present in the mimics, the team says, including the predecessors of sperm and eggs and the beginnings of the amnion, the membrane-like structure that encloses the embryo in a watery environment.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 17 June 2023
Staters Of the coins found in Brandenburg, 19 are staters — mimics of the gold and silver coins found in ancient Greece.
—Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2023
Graham Taylor, who started Helix Biotech last year, says labs have shown that their mimics trigger similar immune responses to the real McCoy.
—Byjon Cohen, science.org, 30 May 2023
Adjective
The rise of generative AI has created tools that more closely mimic patient care.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
And instead of conducting an underwater band, Sebastian (played by Daveed Diggs) now kicks off a massive dance party, complete with toe-tapping sea turtles, spinning mimic octopuses, waving flatworms and ascending luminescent jellyfish.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023
Instead of masquerading as a dangerous creature, an aggressive mimic poses as one that’s benign.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
ChatGPT was unveiled to the public in November and was quickly taken up by millions of users impressed with its ability to clearly answer difficult questions, mimic writing styles, write sonnets and papers and even pass exams.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 Apr. 2023
Lead can get into the brain, mimic calcium in these calcium-binding domains and cause aberrant protein activity as a result.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Nov. 2021
So these drugs in a sense mimic, at least to some degree, an eating disorder.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2023
The advantage of this approach, where only the boundaries have actuators, is that the system is easier to control and build than systems that more precisely mimic biology, and the mechanical constraints make the cascading dominoes easy to apply to different scales.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2023
Ross cautions that the system isn’t a perfect skin mimic.
—WIRED, 9 Feb. 2023
Verb
Technology has shrunk the gap between states and terrorists, allowing nonstate groups to behave in ways that mimic the operations of countries; Hamas can launch sophisticated attacks and spread propaganda much as Israel can.
—Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023
This fictional phone call mimics a real moment that Harry and William reflected on in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
—Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
So, Tarsem didn’t need to visually mimic Gladiator.
—Jamie Bryan, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2023
Grace was responsible for creating several of the looks on real life hair models for the 3D artists and programmers to mimic virtually.
—Akili King, Essence, 15 Nov. 2023
For more than 70 years, fusion research has largely focused on mimicking the inside of the sun in reactors known as tokamaks, which trap superhot hydrogen gas within strong magnetic fields so that atoms will collide and fuse.
—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Synthetic materials, like polyester or rayon, are much more budget friendly than down and can work as down alternatives to mimic the fluffiness of feathers.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023
It was generated using new AI software that can mimic people’s voices.
—Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 14 Nov. 2023
Now, researchers have created a new organic electronic device that can react to light, transmit signals using ions and remember the amount of signal that has previously flowed through it, which mimics the way neurons in the retina operate.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mimic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near mimic
Cite this Entry
“Mimic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimic. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
mimic
2 of 2 transitive verb
mimicked
-ikt
; mimicking
; mimicking
: to imitate or resemble closely: as
a
: to imitate the symptoms of
an acute inflammatory process located in the ileocecal region mimics acute appendicitis—Merck Manual
Merck Manual
b
: to produce an effect and especially a physiological effect similar to
chemically unrelated to the hormone that it mimics—Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical & Engineering News
More from Merriam-Webster on mimic
Nglish: Translation of mimic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mimic for Arabic Speakers
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