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
Whether or not life imitates art remains to be seen.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Patagonia’s proprietary synthetic fill imitates down’s structure by spinning air-trapping microfilaments around a central fiber and requires fewer stabilizing seams and baffles than down.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
And, because life sometimes imitates art, Williams and Storrie are heading to the Olympics.
—Anna Zucca, Vanity Fair, 23 Jan. 2026
The layered neckline, with the bust peeking out from behind, imitates this season's hottest red carpet trend, the semi-visible bra.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
Its light imitates an actual sunrise, gradually going from red to bright white.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Jan. 2026
The style imitates that of many social media influencers, who seek to keep their content dynamic.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Louvre robbery Heists are usually seen only in films, but sometimes, life imitates art.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
The project starts to unravel when life imitates art and a real anaconda begins hunting them down.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2025
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Patagonia’s proprietary synthetic fill imitates down’s structure by spinning air-trapping microfilaments around a central fiber and requires fewer stabilizing seams and baffles than down.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
And, because life sometimes imitates art, Williams and Storrie are heading to the Olympics.
—Anna Zucca, Vanity Fair, 23 Jan. 2026
The layered neckline, with the bust peeking out from behind, imitates this season's hottest red carpet trend, the semi-visible bra.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
Its light imitates an actual sunrise, gradually going from red to bright white.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Jan. 2026
The style imitates that of many social media influencers, who seek to keep their content dynamic.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 1 Jan. 2026
Louvre robbery Heists are usually seen only in films, but sometimes, life imitates art.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
The project starts to unravel when life imitates art and a real anaconda begins hunting them down.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitates
Verb
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Instead, the site recommends a homemade mixture consisting of four parts water to one part sugar, which emulates the amount of sugar naturally found in nectar.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, anyone online can browse Epstein’s correspondence on Jmail, a site that emulates the experience of browsing his Gmail inbox.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Generally speaking, Normand playfully mocks all sorts of different groups rather equally.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The new simulator reproduces galactic cosmic rays using ion accelerators, giving researchers a powerful tool to study radiation exposure in deep space.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
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The nuance and presence that the Nova Elite's carbon fiber reproduces across the full frequency range are noticeably better than those of the Nova Pro Wireless, which already sounds great.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By practicing on a model that copies heart circulation and contraction, doctors can improve their technique for complex valve repairs before surgery.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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From about 2011 to 2014, Gates emails Epstein directly, and often one of the pair copies Cohen or Nikolic.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ben Hania’s film before that, 2020’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin, parodies the art world’s fetishization of refugees.—
Alexander Durie,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Lerner gets plentiful mileage out of his novel’s title, which also connotes the transmission of culture (thought or speech to writing, sound to vinyl) or part of the process whereby DNA replicates.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Researchers at the University of Bristol have created a network of simple mechanical motors that replicates how human muscles respond to increasing load.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Scenic designer Matthew Herman created a rectangular center stage with LED panel lighting by Sammy Webster that mimics the flourescent office lights of the past but explodes with color in a surprise dancing-on-the-tables scene.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Annabelle Saco, 24, of Bloomfield, Michigan, does a combination of shopping online and at the mall – and she's seen an increase of shoppers her age in those spaces.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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Parties by Panache does full event planning, including servers, bar, rentals, flowers, music, invitations and photography.—
Judy Bart Kancigor,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitates. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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