1
as in emulates
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
teenage musicians who imitate whichever rock stars are hot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in mocks
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
imitating someone's stutter and laughing at them is a cruel thing to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in reproduces
to make an exact likeness of
a second-rate artist who was notorious for imitating the works of other painters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imitates
In Kim Kardashian's case, art imitates life.
—
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
For ultraminimalists, this simple coverlet from Parachute imitates the look of a quilt without the fill, delivers on the work of a good throw blanket, and makes for a perfect year-round bed linen on account of its weight.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2025
The former imitates delicate shoots off of a vine tree.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
If art imitates life, then One Battle After Another is an apt reflection of our absurd times.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025
Student imitates Charlie Kirk's death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Sometimes art imitates life by skipping a generation.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
His rhetoric occasionally imitates Trump when talking about China and the World Trade Organization.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
And as life imitates life, Jamie’s father, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), rides up on a horse to stop Julia from making a foolish mistake.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
For ultraminimalists, this simple coverlet from Parachute imitates the look of a quilt without the fill, delivers on the work of a good throw blanket, and makes for a perfect year-round bed linen on account of its weight.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2025
The former imitates delicate shoots off of a vine tree.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2025
If art imitates life, then One Battle After Another is an apt reflection of our absurd times.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025
Student imitates Charlie Kirk's death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Sometimes art imitates life by skipping a generation.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
His rhetoric occasionally imitates Trump when talking about China and the World Trade Organization.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
And as life imitates life, Jamie’s father, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), rides up on a horse to stop Julia from making a foolish mistake.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitates
Verb
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Developed with the biomaterials innovation company Bolt, the Goddess formulation emulates the properties of spider silk, which is known for its strength and flexibility.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
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Legion Space has come a long way and decently emulates a console experience.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cuomo mocks Mamdani’s thin resume, just as Republicans derided Obama’s qualifications.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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In Ringu, Sadako psychically kills a journalist who mocks her mother’s psychic abilities.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hawley even reproduces the kidnapping scene from the film, but with Dorothy as the intended kidnapee.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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And in June, Erdős and Volodymyr Riabov posted a paper that reproduces Yau and Yin’s one-dimensional result for a broader class of band matrices.—
Leila Sloman,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Spoofing happens when a scammer copies someone’s social media profile, such as their name, photos and other details, to create a fake account that looks real.—
Marin Independent Journal,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
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Think about Nobu — everybody copies their rolls.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Whether or not, Combs’ appeal replicates his string of unsuccessful $50 million bail efforts, or proves a Get Outta Jail card remains to be seen.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The site replicates what’s found on the app.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Their language mimics the essence of things, evocations of items and experiences.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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This side of the breakwater was lined with tide pools formed from ECOncrete, a composite cement that mimics natural rock formations.—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Manow does a bump of K on the table to relax while Clateman shows me a high-tech nicotine vape that displays music videos and also rates the intensity of your hits with a numerical score.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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The point of Generative AI is the tech does the bulk of the work on its own.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imitates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitates. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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