as in imitators
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 copies
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 imitates
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
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Recent Examples of copycats
Drew Pittock, USA Today, 6 May 2026
What real cookbook authors say about AI copycats.
—Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
That Serial season was downloaded more than 300 million times, and its success spawned thousands of copycats and a vast community of true-crime fans.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Other internet critics slammed his great-uncle's creation as touristy, insisting diners could find tastier versions among the legion of copycats.
—Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Other internet critics slammed his great-uncle’s creation as touristy, insisting diners could find tastier versions among the legion of copycats.
—Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2026
And just as Elon Musk’s initial moonshot package spawned a whole class of copycats (including Musk’s more recent $1 trillion plan), Ferracone expects other tech companies to mimic Meta’s latest move.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Tropes, sequels, and even shameless copycats gave me a way to compare craft without getting overwhelmed by just how much movies can mean to me personally.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
But now that the drugs are no longer in short supply, compounders can no longer legally make copycats, and the FDA is cracking down on the dupes.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Creator denounces copycats The trend is largely credited to a TikTok video posted in March by an anonymous creator called Swhileyy.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 6 May 2026
What real cookbook authors say about AI copycats.
—Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
That Serial season was downloaded more than 300 million times, and its success spawned thousands of copycats and a vast community of true-crime fans.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Other internet critics slammed his great-uncle's creation as touristy, insisting diners could find tastier versions among the legion of copycats.
—Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Other internet critics slammed his great-uncle’s creation as touristy, insisting diners could find tastier versions among the legion of copycats.
—Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2026
And just as Elon Musk’s initial moonshot package spawned a whole class of copycats (including Musk’s more recent $1 trillion plan), Ferracone expects other tech companies to mimic Meta’s latest move.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Tropes, sequels, and even shameless copycats gave me a way to compare craft without getting overwhelmed by just how much movies can mean to me personally.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
But now that the drugs are no longer in short supply, compounders can no longer legally make copycats, and the FDA is cracking down on the dupes.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copycats
Noun
-
By early 1985, IBM—the computing giant that dominated corporate America—and its imitators had captured nearly half the personal computer market, up from about a third just months earlier.—
Geoffrey Cain,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
-
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On a party count, that is 4-3 for the Dems and the one-for-you, one-for-me bipartisan staffing copies the Board of Elections.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, its genetic material mutates.—
Kyle B. Enfield,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pieces are all made from fade- and weather-resistant poly material, which even imitates the look of wood grain for a more stylish finish.—
Paige Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Aristotle said that art imitates nature (ars imitatur naturam), and for centuries, many artists sought to imitate their subjects as realistically as possible.—
Andrey Mir,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In classic Earle fashion, the social media star was transparent with her followers and gave them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her photo shoot ahead of the 2025 SI Swimsuit launch.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
Bedford Erickson, 3, has captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of followers on social media who follow his journey living with a rare condition called Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The test consisted of a 7-MW grid simulator that replicates disturbances and voltage ride-through events, and a 20-MW load simulator that reproduces real-world demand dynamics such as those created by an AI data center.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
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This includes the importance of gestures such as going to retrieve from the family casket a pin that reproduces the British and American flags together, as well as those that actually fly on the streets of Washington.—
Giorgia Olivieri,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Revolve is all about polished wardrobe essentials, and this two-piece set emulates the online retailer’s signature style.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Following film was a full run on the team’s NBA floor rather than the practice facility, which better emulates a game feel.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But does that have echoes in what’s going on outside our window?—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Drums and synthesizers are interspersed with delicately arranged strings, but there’s something transcendent about the contours and echoes of Raye’s voice.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Infected rodents don’t get symptoms, but the virus replicates in their cells.—
Daniel Pastula,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
-
Study after study show that AI replicates the biases of the data it’s trained on.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Copycats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copycats. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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