1
as in emulating
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
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2
as in parodying
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 copying
to make an exact likeness of
a second-rate artist who was notorious for imitating the works of other painters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of imitating
The contest aims to challenge negative stereotypes of seagulls, which are often seen as a nuisance, by imitating them, per local network WTV.
—
Adam England, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Another potential treatment route the study opens up is using machines to massage cancer cells, imitating the rhythmic beating of the heart.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 23 Apr. 2026
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
The upcoming season of Nobody Wants This includes a bit more art imitating life after Timothy Simons‘ recent hair experiment.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2026
Two years later, in a case of life imitating art, Michele realized her dreams of playing Fanny Brice on Broadway — much like Rachel Berry — replacing Beanie Feldstein in the revival of Funny Girl.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead of imitating other instruments and conforming to conventional musical ideas, Buchla (and Ciani) set out to create a paradigm based on harnessing the flow of electricity itself.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
In the clip Miller says a lot without naming names and without directly addressing the life-imitating-art of it all.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Adam England, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Another potential treatment route the study opens up is using machines to massage cancer cells, imitating the rhythmic beating of the heart.
—Anil Oza, STAT, 23 Apr. 2026
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
The upcoming season of Nobody Wants This includes a bit more art imitating life after Timothy Simons‘ recent hair experiment.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2026
Two years later, in a case of life imitating art, Michele realized her dreams of playing Fanny Brice on Broadway — much like Rachel Berry — replacing Beanie Feldstein in the revival of Funny Girl.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Instead of imitating other instruments and conforming to conventional musical ideas, Buchla (and Ciani) set out to create a paradigm based on harnessing the flow of electricity itself.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
In the clip Miller says a lot without naming names and without directly addressing the life-imitating-art of it all.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2026
The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitating
Verb
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In a second image uploaded to her Stories, Hailey showed Jack emulating his 32-year-old father's trendy street style, donning a cute beige and brown cap and stylish striped shirt.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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Google may be emulating that strategy.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Influencer comedians like Madison Humphrey and Mitsy Sanderson have built large platforms parodying awkward moments.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This one turns off Gemini in addition to personalized Drive search, copying loyalty cards to Wallet and Calendar event extraction from Gmail.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
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An aspiring author had sent Hoover their manuscript, also copying a fraudulent email impersonating Hoover on the email chain.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Minab has been transformed into a landscape of collective grief, where the rhythm of daily life now includes frequent visits to the cemetery, where small graves are arranged in neat rows, just steps apart, mimicking the order of a school assembly.—
Zohreh Saberi,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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Much of his free time revolved around listening to the radio, sometimes mimicking different announcers.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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One side feels mocking people and calling names is OK and not creating hate.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
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The entertainer gained notoriety on social media in the late 2010s for his sketches mocking niche everyday scenarios.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The polyphenols in cranberries also block viruses from reproducing and stimulate the immune system.—
Cynthia Sass,
Health,
27 Apr. 2026
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After his death in 1993, the hippos escaped and began reproducing in the wild.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Santa Fe burrito is a genuine pleasure—more restrained, built on a smaller scale, with green chile doing the complex, vegetal, low-burning work that other versions might leave to salsa—though, again, the tortilla serves its contents, rather than the hosannas going the other way.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
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Deserted mall ‘semi-apocalyptic’ While there have been no signs of mass social unrest in Russia, and other malls including the giant Aviapark in northwest Moscow appear to be doing good business, several workers at Goodzone described to CNN with concern the increasingly minimal foot traffic there.—
Zahra Ullah,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Food is prepared on charcoal- burning grills, giving it a mouthwatering char and aroma that electric grills could never dream of replicating.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
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Ahead of taking on the task of replicating Michael's legendary voice and performing skills, Jaafar practiced for hours on end to sing as Michael.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitating. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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