impersonate

verb

im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce impersonate (audio)
Definition of impersonatenext
1
as in to imitate
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior a school intruder was caught trying to impersonate a teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to portray
to present a portrayal or performance of interpreters at the living history museum impersonate figures who are known to have actually lived in the colonial town

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 impersonate While chatting about her famous dad, Sunny recalled impersonating him as a kid alongside her older sister Sadie. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026 The speed and accuracy in which scammers are able to impersonate OnlyFans stars not only chips away at the creator’s income but can have offline consequences for both the creators and their fans. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 More than 60 of its organizations that provide direct legal services have been impersonated by con artists. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Is RuPaul’s Drag Race icon Kori King — who famously impersonated Michael Jackson on the red carpet at the 2025 Emmys — engaged in an online squabble involving Kardashian-adjacent reality TV star Blac Chyna’s mother, Tokyo Toni? — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonate
  1. imitate
  2. portray
  3. mock
  4. play
  5. personate
  6. perform
  7. depict
  8. interpret
Verb
  • In light of the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), Loretto sounds a warning to leaders about imitating the language used by AI tools.
    — Sally Percy, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Still, Nixon created a blueprint for presidential lawlessness that Trump imitated and greatly expanded.
    — Elizabeth Holtzman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of imitate
Verb
  • Hundreds of pages of grand jury transcripts portray Tupac Shakur's shooting as a culmination of a longstanding feud between rival record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records and rival gang sects Mob Piru and South Side Compton Crips.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Juno Temple portrays supermodel and eventual public relations expert Keeley Jones.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of portray
Verb
  • During the 2024 postseason, Carrington struck Clark directly in the eye, leaving the league's signature star with a visible black eye, then mocked the ensuing public outrage online.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • He was criticized for outing LGBTQ+ stars who hadn’t revealed their sexuality publicly, and for bullying others by mocking their misfortune.
    — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of mock
Verb
  • Phoenix guard Kelsey Plum did not play against the team that traded her a little over a week ago.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Knizner had been playing for Boston’s Triple-A affiliate but exercised his opt-out last week (before Susac’s injury), becoming a free agent.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of play
Verb
  • Till’s motifs swept though the ensemble, as horns, clarinets, bassoons, violin all had a chance to personate the character.
    — BY LIBBY HANSSEN, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Definition of personate
Verb
  • The Republican nominee also said the work agreements that allow many state employees to perform their jobs remotely need reform as well.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ogbonnaya, who performs under his first name, will be on the bill; so will No-Fi RPM, a live-mixing series that Curran and Farlee run with collaborators Estevan Medina, Dillon Kelley and Patrick Mitchell.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of perform
Verb
  • Researchers scanned dogs’ brains while the pooches looked at images of human facial expressions depicting happiness, sadness, anger and fear.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The work, depicting a judge in a wig striking a protester with a gavel, has cost Britain’s Ministry of Justice $67,000 in removal efforts so far, with another $48,000 spent on security and staff overtime while the work stayed up.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of depict
Verb
  • Painted in 1906, the piece depicts an Ottoman-era dervish training tortoises, often interpreted as a reflection on patience, reform, and the slow pace of change during the final years of the empire.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Those breaches also show how unpredictable AI can be when interpreting instructions.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of interpret

Browse Nearby Words

impersonal
impersonate
impersonated
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Cite this Entry

“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonate. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of impersonate for Spanish Speakers

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