duplicate 1 of 3

duplicate

2 of 3

noun

duplicate

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to copy
to make an exact likeness of art students trying to duplicate paintings in the museum's collection as part of their training

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to replicate
to make or do again we were unable to duplicate the experiment in our own lab, so we're suspicious

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to double
to make twice as great or as many the recipe can be easily duplicated in order to feed a large family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun duplicate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of duplicate are copy, facsimile, replica, and reproduction. While all these words mean "a thing made to closely resemble another," duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

When is it sensible to use copy instead of duplicate?

The meanings of copy and duplicate largely overlap; however, copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

When can facsimile be used instead of duplicate?

Although the words facsimile and duplicate have much in common, facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

Where would replica be a reasonable alternative to duplicate?

While the synonyms replica and duplicate are close in meaning, replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details, but not always in the same scale.

a replica of the Mayflower
miniature replicas of classic cars

When might reproduction be a better fit than duplicate?

While in some cases nearly identical to duplicate, reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

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 duplicate
Adjective
Old documents, large video files, duplicate photos, and outdated downloads can take up a surprising amount of space. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2025 Fewer duplicate systems mean lower development, infrastructure and support costs. Balvinder Singh Banjardar, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
To be clear, organizations don’t intentionally create these duplicates, but duplication can happen if teams work in silos, lacking collaboration, or with fragmented IT governance and divergent business priorities. Balvinder Singh Banjardar, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 If passed, the bill would also require platforms to remove NCII content—and any duplicates—within 48 hours of it being reported. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
Even with a good password manager, credentials and secrets often get duplicated and hidden across code, cloud storage, or collaboration tools. Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025 Yet, this adds credit hours to the degree while often duplicating content already available in other departments. John Weigand, The Conversation, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for duplicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duplicate
Adjective
  • Another clip showing a comparison between Matt as a baby, and Darcy at the same age, the father and daughter looking identical to each other, also proved popular online.
    Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
  • Palmer netted an early brace with two almost identical goals just eight minutes apart midway through the first half.
    Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • To believe that churches can direct the laity on how to vote, whether for members of the school board or for the president of the country, is to deny the Christian teaching that all humans are made in the image of God and can understand and follow his will themselves.
    Esau McCaulley, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
  • The authenticity of the images has not been confirmed, although Banks aired it all out to the public.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • My mother gave me a copy of The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Matsuo Basho.
    Rebecca Chace July 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
  • To date, Kepler’s books have sold over 18 million copies worldwide.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • This is a single Periscope camera module and single image sensor, but with two physical lenses, and a shifting prism inside the module moves back and forth between the two lenses as needed to reproduce two optical zoom length.
    Ben Sin, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • But even then, a suboptimal sperm count doesn’t necessarily mean an inability to reproduce.
    Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • Heck, writers have been using cannabis for four hundred years since Shakespeare died, and so far no one has managed to come close to replicating the man’s genius.
    Sam Kelly July 8, Literary Hub, 8 July 2025
  • The store will replicate the approach and colors of the headquarters in a bold way.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Still, Errani and Jasmine Paolini won the 2025 French Open doubles title.
    Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • That doubles for universities with endowments greater than $2 million.
    Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • This doesn’t come without challenges, especially with junior staff who haven’t weathered similar storms before.
    Philip A. Nardone, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Mimic Alba’s seasonal slay by shopping similar vests, pants, caps, sunglasses, and bags from Amazon.
    Izzy Baskette, People.com, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • The luxury real estate development was designed to emulate the City of Lights, featuring its own Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and a 354-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower.
    Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 13 July 2025
  • Season 3 ended on a major cliffhanger: Both the original Nathan and his replica were captured by evil tech billionaires, and only one of them survived.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Duplicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duplicate. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on duplicate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!