Definition of copycatnext
as in imitator
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way every rock singer who makes it big soon has a whole cluster of copycats

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copycat

2 of 2

verb

1
2
as in to imitate
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior a performer who slavishly copycats another never rises to the level of true stardom

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of copycat
Noun
The Tetris Company has previously won damages from developers who made copycat games without a license. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026 Foreign adversaries, Klein says, are accessing Anthropic’s Claude models — a process known as distillation — to train competing technology and sell copycat versions at a lower price. — Kate Rooney,paige Tortorelli, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
But factors including insurance coverage, pricing, copycat drugs and the development of new pills will ultimately determine how far the treatments will reach. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2025 Maybe don’t copycat Netflix so much, other streamers. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for copycat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copycat
Noun
  • The Dadaists used this gleefully and compulsively (see René Clair and Francis Picabia’s wacky Entr’Acte); so, famously, did Hideo Nakata in Y2K hit The Ring and countless imitators.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The account has amassed over 10,000 followers, inspiring imitator accounts.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Treat Smith’s experience as a prompt to book a physical and get current numbers on your blood pressure, cholesterol and A1C, not as a protocol to copy.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • At the time, CEO Jesse Lyu told Fast Company his decision to make the R1 a standalone product was part of a strategy to protect Rabbit's AI model from being copied, and to help its service stand out from the crowd.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Rather than taking advantage of genuine quantum effects, Scholes proposes, life might be imitating them instead.
    — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This succinct statement follows outpourings of both support and criticism of Sims, including additional allegations that YISE has imitated other beauty brands—the very thing Sims was lamenting.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • While Francisco is the CEO of the family company, Rafael is mostly a follower and has already had several run-ins with the law.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Glover brings to the Hollywood talent agency a social media presence that includes around 532,000 Instagram followers and another 250,000-plus on the X platform.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Throughout the novel, outsiders suggest that hagwons might replicate preexisting social inequalities.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Next, the researchers plan to do broader studies that can track exposure throughout pregnancy and examine whether the associations can be replicated across different populations.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Check out more popular Cetaphil products on Amazon to emulate Hargitay’s youthful, fresh-looking skin.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Production designer Will Hughes-Jones explained that his team employed human creativity to emulate the flawed look of AI software renderings.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The Zombies’ records are notable for their production values, bringing in echoes and other effects for songs that in lesser hands would be simple unadorned rave-ups.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The sounds of eventual victory, Tolokonnikov said, might be heard in the echoes of an earlier chapter of Ukrainian history.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Once researchers can send participants home with a device that reliably reproduces sauna-like heat stress, the study pipeline gets longer, cheaper and larger.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
  • However, nicotine does not reproduce normal acetylcholine signaling.
    — Hasmeena Kathuria, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Copycat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copycat. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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