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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to copy
to make an exact likeness of
asked her stylist to copycat a hairstyle from the magazine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
There's always the risk of a copycat.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2022
And neither of us was that interested in trying to copycat any of the production elements of their songs, anyway.
—Vulture, 18 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for copycat
Noun
Made with Flourish • Create a chart The new direct-to-patient market is emerging as a critical driver of future sales growth, but compounders — which make cheaper copycat versions of the drug and were able to flourish during the earlier shortage of semaglutide — remain a real competitor.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
There's always the risk of a copycat.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Verb
Sometimes, people will copycat what other teams have done.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2022
And neither of us was that interested in trying to copycat any of the production elements of their songs, anyway.
—Vulture, 18 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for copycat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copycat
Noun
-
The success spurred other companies to open their models and shifted perceptions of China’s AI landscape from imitator to innovator.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Despite many aspirants and imitators, there really hasn’t been anything like it since.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This, however, poses a major problem in other fields, as the data cannot be copied without corrupting it.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Court decisions, state laws and licensing contracts are other sources of protection against a team’s name and logo being copied without consent.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
James said while walking through the venue, imitating her excitement.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
When anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois took over CBS Evening News last year, part of the network’s strategy was to imitate a local news format, with a genial cast of personalities reporting from the field.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Jennifer Aniston's social media followers were treated to some banter between the Friends alum and her costar Courteney Cox — not as Rachel and Monica, but themselves.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The chef has 115 million social followers and has established himself over two decades with prime time shows like Kitchen Nightmares and MasterChef more recently being accompanied by a vibrant social media profile.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mpro, an enzyme that allows SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in host cells, holds structural similarities.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Such observations can be replicated in the lab.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Snag it in black to emulate Aniston or choose from four other versatile colors including burgundy and heather gray.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Because if Philly can emulate any of its offensive firepower from a season ago, its defense is absolutely still a championship-caliber one.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fischer especially recommends making sound-softening updates in rooms with higher ceilings, open layouts, and hardwood flooring, all of which can amplify echo and reverb.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
At its softest, Le Bon’s sedate echo-chamber fare threatens to vaporize and disappear.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Whitman traces how this legal foundation evolved into a broader moral menace that became a durable template in Western capitalism that was repeatedly reproduced.—
Valerie L. Myers,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Sadly for Jeep, its dealers couldn’t reproduce that magic in 2025 despite consolidating the two into a single model.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Copycat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copycat. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share