COPYING Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

copying

verb

present participle of copy

as in reproducing

to make an exact likeness of for the movie, set designers copied the Oval Office in the White House down to the smallest detail

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in imitating

to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior she shamelessly copies her idol's hairstyle and fashion choices

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 copying Your boss may just end up copying your work outfit. — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 17 June 2026 The county is simply copying the city’s playbook toward a similar budget crisis. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2026 The system for copying parts of the genome into RNA for protein production comes from a virus called T7. — ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026 Until now, the law has been clear that agencies may generally only charge for copying costs (something that’s essentially unnecessary in this day of digital records). — Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 16 June 2026 There’s no denying that Lola Tung has impeccable style—I’m constantly referencing her fierce street style looks—so copying her accessory of choice feels like a safe move. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 27 June 2026 Determined to be seen as extraordinary, Elizabeth begins copying, stalking and impersonating Laura to try and win a Harvard spot for herself. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 June 2026 By copying texts, the monk incorporated the words, absorbing them in a process akin to that described by the Greek rhetorician Quintilian, who emphasized internalizing classical texts as a foundation for oratory and writing. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026 In June 2024, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group sued the AI music services Suno and Udio, accusing them of copying sound recordings without permission to train their models. — Maureen Kerr, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for copying

Verb

According to the letter writer, the sea lions living and reproducing pups in the safety of La Jolla Cove should just go somewhere else along the very long California coastline.

— U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2026
Facing long odds, Sydney commits to leading without reproducing the toxicity she’s witnessed from Carmy.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 June 2026

Definition of reproducing

Verb

Some of the most notable moments show Atlas imitating human emotional reactions.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
To celebrate, Gazza lay down on the grass and opened his mouth wide, imitating the dentist’s chair that had got him and his team-mates into so much bother a few weeks earlier.

— The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 18 June 2026

Definition of imitating

Verb

Australia’s online platforms are stumbling at the very first step in implementing age checks for users, rendering a world-first teen social media ban ineffective, a study by a team that advised the government’s rollout of the curbs found.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 July 2026
These extreme weather changes can cause pavement to expand, crack and warp, rendering some roads unusable until they are repaired.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 July 2026

Definition of rendering

Verb

But beyond emulating his career, Daniel also wants to leave the kind of impact on others that his father has.

— Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
In pursuit of achieving his dreams and emulating his hero Alberto Contador, Spain’s last Grand Tour champion, Ayuso has recently turned to self-help books.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of emulating

Verb

The kestrel's stability doesn't come from any single trick but from all these mechanisms working together simultaneously – and replicating that in a lightweight, low-cost platform is the real challenge.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 July 2026
After some more tweaking and optimizing, the cell started growing and replicating its DNA.

— Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 1 July 2026

Definition of replicating

Verb

Carmona suggests opting for a repeating pattern that works well in smaller doses, and then painting the rest of the wall to create contrast and depth.

— Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
Rather than simply reproducing the work, the designers transformed the painting’s floating metallic bells into a repeating pattern of pink and blue soccer balls.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of repeating

Verb

Detroit still has Cade Cunningham, but duplicating last season will be tough.

— David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Fiber-optic, first-person view (FPV) drones have become a key weapon in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah’s war against Israel in recent months – bypassing Israel’s sophisticated defense systems by duplicating an asymmetric warfare tactic that first emerged in the Russia-Ukraine war.

— Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 28 June 2026

Definition of duplicating

Browse Nearby Words

copyedits

copying

copyist

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Copying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copying. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of copying

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on copying

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tacit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes