mimic

noun

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mim·ic | \ ˈmi-mik

Definition of mimic

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : mime sense 2 She's a talented mimic.

2 : one that mimics

mimic

adjective

Definition of mimic (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : imitative

b : imitation, mock a mimic battle

2 : of or relating to mime or mimicry

mimic

verb

mimicked\ ˈmi-mikt

\; mimicking

Definition of mimic (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to imitate closely : ape He mimicked her accent.

2 : to ridicule by imitation The comic mimicked the president's mannerisms.

3 : simulate vegetable dishes that mimic meat— Carolone Bates

4 : to resemble by biological mimicry a butterfly that mimics a leaf

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about mimic

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Choose the Right Synonym for mimic

Verb

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing. copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible. copied the painting and sold the fake as an original imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation. imitate a poet's style mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation. pupils mimicking their teacher ape may suggest presumptuous, unoriginal, or inept imitating of a superior original. American fashion designers aped their European colleagues mock usually implies imitation with derision. mocking a vain man's pompous manner

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 She has a talent for mimicking famous actresses. The lamp mimics natural sunlight. a butterfly that mimics a leaf

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Speaker Vos is a Donald Trump mimic, desperately trying to challenge the legitimacy of an election proven over and over again to be fair. — Scott Bauer, Star Tribune, 28 May 2021 Goff was a gifted mimic, performing in the classroom or on the street corner. — Rex Nelson, Arkansas Online, 17 Apr. 2021 Limbaugh was a much more engaging broadcaster, wildly funny at times, a mimic, a deliberate buffoon — an entertainer, for sure. — Bill Carter For Cnn Busniess Perspectivies, CNN, 19 Feb. 2021 Dickens’s mother, Elizabeth, appears to have been a bright, lively woman who loved to dance and was a wonderful mimic (like her son). — Robert Gottlieb, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2020 Each of her books, in their own way, refuses to let a deliberately unconscious bias mimic as truth. — Haley Mlotek, The New Republic, 1 June 2020 The move mimics travel bans imposed by many other countries, which China had resisted when the majority of global cases were within its borders. — Sybilla Gross, Bloomberg.com, 5 May 2020 The fund mimics stimulus payments by providing around $1,200 per family. — Rebecca Plevin, USA TODAY, 2 May 2020 How China locked down tens of millions of people The measures implemented in Italy and under consideration the U.S. mimic, at least partially, some of the tough decisions China took in its battle against the coronavirus. — Amy Gunia, Time, 13 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Will this crypto bull run mimic past ones, where there is a peak and then a fall-off that’s higher than the previous leveling off? — Robert Hackett, Fortune, 28 May 2021 At the end, the powerful voice-mimic tools are easily available to the public. — Dominic David, Forbes, 10 May 2021 These lights are specially designed to closely mimic sunlight, and can also help boost your productivity. — Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021 Both the pharmaceutical and entrepreneurial space should prioritize unique ingredient discovery to not just mimic hormones or offer multi-system do-it-alls, but also to give women symptom control comparable to HRT. — Michael Satow, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2021 Sarr, whose label Almasika is focused on highlighting culturally important symbols and totems, chose to create a group of four gold waves that mimic water surrounding a center stone. — Daisy Shaw-ellis, Vogue, 18 Jan. 2021 Its cabinets are simple with pulls that mimic vintage. — Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 19 Dec. 2020 Good sportsmanship grew up with parliamentary democracy, as a kind of mimic liberal institution; learning to lose graciously is part of living in an equal-opportunity political world. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2020 Including running an after-school club in which kids mimic dances using a Wii video game console. — Mike Digiovanna Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Funds that mimic widely followed indexes will have to buy shares added to the index. — Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, 8 June 2021 The abort system has been successfully tested in flight to mimic failures during the most stressful regimes of flight. — William Harwood, CBS News, 7 June 2021 The vaccines mimic the protein that covers the outer surface of the coronavirus, and only certain spots of that protein are mutating, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. — BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2021 The vaccines mimic the protein that covers the outer surface of the coronavirus, and only certain spots of that protein are mutating, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. — Lauran Neergaard, chicagotribune.com, 2 June 2021 Yale sociologist and physician Nicholas Christakis hypothesizes that the 1918 pandemic falls into an ages-old pandemic pattern, one that our Covid-19 present may mimic, too. — Lila Thulin, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2021 Plus, other diseases during life can cause changes in bones that may mimic the lesions made by metastases, and decomposition can also affect the bone after death. — Katie Hunt, CNN, 29 Apr. 2021 We were never taught Tagalog, the most widely spoken language in the Philippines, and we were discouraged from trying to mimic its sounds so that our learning of English would not be interrupted. — Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2021 Bichitr was not trying to mimic European art so much as show his mastery of different styles within the same painting. — Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mimic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Mimic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimic. Accessed 14 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for mimic

mimic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mimic

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who copies the behavior or speech of other people : a person who mimics other people also : an animal that naturally looks like something else

mimic

verb

English Language Learners Definition of mimic (Entry 2 of 2)

: to copy (someone or someone's behavior or speech) especially for humor

: to create the appearance or effect of (something)

: to naturally look like (something)

See the full definition for mimic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mimic

noun

mim·ic | \ ˈmi-mik

Kids Definition of mimic

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person or animal that imitates something or someone Parrots can be excellent mimics of human speech.

mimic

verb

mimicked; mimicking

Kids Definition of mimic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to imitate very closely She can mimic her favorite actress.

2 : to make fun of by imitating Stop mimicking everything I say.

mimic

noun

mim·ic | \ ˈmim-ik

Medical Definition of mimic

(Entry 1 of 2)

: one that mimics a mimic of a naturally occurring hormone

mimic

transitive verb

mimicked\ -ikt

\; mimicking

Medical Definition of mimic (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

b : to produce an effect and especially a physiological effect similar to chemically unrelated to the hormone that it mimics — Chemical & Engineering News