copying

Definition of copyingnext
present participle of copy
1
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

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2
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

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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 copying Join me in copying Pidgeon’s spring-ready lip look while the Rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint is only $14. Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026 By copying the strut and behavior of real males, the robotic birds are meant to attract younger grouse and encourage them to start a new breeding site in a safer location. Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026 One of their tactics was to charge record requesters not just for copying costs but for the time workers spent assembling the records. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026 Donnie is now directing and starring in a movie with his particular style and flair and expertise that isn’t copying anything from the Wick world but is furthering the story of one of the most extraordinary characters to come out of the Wick universe ever. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026 These moments show students evaluating AI output critically and treating it almost as a sparring partner, rather than simply copying it. Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026 Apple has always taken a unique approach to the design of its office apps, rather than copying Microsoft 365's ribbon-style convention like most competitors. Edward Mendelson, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026 To be clear, do yourself a favor and don’t ruin your March by copying a pasting a Golden bracket. Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026 The human brain doesn’t achieve intelligence by copying one type of neuron billions of times, but by combining many different specialized cell types and circuits that work together. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copying
Verb
  • Five years later teams around the world are reproducing that approach at a fraction of the cost.
    Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The toucans are building stable, reproducing populations within urban spaces — using city green areas as reliable sources of food and shelter.
    Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Life imitating art By the time Artemis astronauts begin assembling a real foothold at the Moon’s south pole, the blueprint will feel oddly familiar, at least to those sim addicts who have been dreaming of a functional moon colony for decades now.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Both of us remember childhood weekends spent recording our own camcorder sketch shows — Lee imitating Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot and Molly Shannon’s Mary Catherine Gallagher, Jenn pushing the boundaries of absurdism far past the point of actually getting laughs.
    Lee Kelly, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Officers arrived to find three vehicles involved — each with a single driver — and began rendering aid alongside firefighters and paramedics, per the release.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In a position such as lieutenant governor, where much of the office’s duties involve being only one of multi-member boards, radical positions tend to be largely drowned out by the majority, rendering the office even less effective.
    Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Shoppers are emulating the late tastemaker’s look with clean silhouettes, neutral basics and of course that thick tortoiseshell headband.
    Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Google may be emulating that strategy.
    James Peckham, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As the genre eventually called alt-country calcified in Souled American’s wake, luminaries like John Darnielle, Will Oldham, and Tweedy himself all evangelized about the Chicago group without ever replicating their sound.
    Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who lost out in the Dodgers’ bidding in 2012, surrounded the Rams’ Inglewood stadium and Woodland Hills training site with major development and could consider replicating those successes in Anaheim.
    Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Their capability of rebooting for another momentous chapter largely hinges on this dynamic repeating itself.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2026
  • The woman at the front of the house for the Tuesday lunch service was kind and patient, having no problem repeating that yes, everything is vegan.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The tense battle culminates in the Beliskner being destroyed, in turn killing all the Replicators, except for one, which is seen crawling out of the ocean, setting up future battles with this duplicating menace.
    Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The findings, published in a new study in the journal Nature Communications, suggest there’s a hard limit to duplicating mammals.
    Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026

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“Copying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copying. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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