1
as in mocked
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 played
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impersonated
The experience of being impersonated led de Blasio to reflect on the need for stronger action around the safety risks of emerging technology.
—
Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
For another, the Creature is played by Jacob Elordi, who, like most actors who have convincingly impersonated Elvis Presley, is not exactly the Boris Karloff of his day.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
The technology sold to Qualcomm was purportedly invented by Arabi’s sister, Sheida Alan, but prosecutors alleged Arabi was the true inventor and also impersonated his sister in communications related to the start-up company behind the technology — Abreezio.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The federal agencies who were impersonated by the scammers could not be reached because of the federal government shutdown.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
Mizuhara capitalized on the language barrier to keep Ohtani’s financial advisers from understanding their client, and, at times, Mizuhara even impersonated the player to the bank to prolong the fraud.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
During the cold open, Poehler impersonated United States Attorney General Pam Bondi.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2025
According to The Cut, Tami also impersonated Kendra for her last Halloween party, dressing as a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit paired with a mask of her mugshot and phones clutched in its hands.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
These bots, some created by users and at least three by a Meta team member, impersonated stars such as Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez without permission.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
For another, the Creature is played by Jacob Elordi, who, like most actors who have convincingly impersonated Elvis Presley, is not exactly the Boris Karloff of his day.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
The technology sold to Qualcomm was purportedly invented by Arabi’s sister, Sheida Alan, but prosecutors alleged Arabi was the true inventor and also impersonated his sister in communications related to the start-up company behind the technology — Abreezio.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The federal agencies who were impersonated by the scammers could not be reached because of the federal government shutdown.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025
Mizuhara capitalized on the language barrier to keep Ohtani’s financial advisers from understanding their client, and, at times, Mizuhara even impersonated the player to the bank to prolong the fraud.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
During the cold open, Poehler impersonated United States Attorney General Pam Bondi.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2025
According to The Cut, Tami also impersonated Kendra for her last Halloween party, dressing as a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit paired with a mask of her mugshot and phones clutched in its hands.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
These bots, some created by users and at least three by a Meta team member, impersonated stars such as Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez without permission.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonated
Verb
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In another photo obtained by TMZ, Matthews also mocked Perry’s headline-making photo of her kissing the ground following her return to Earth.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
10 Nov. 2025
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Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There were rows of records, stacks of photos and the original Midnite Jamboree stage where legends like Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Garth Brooks once played.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Nov. 2025
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In the iconic film, Spacek — who stars in the new film Die, My Love — played the title character, a misfit high schooler.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Playing someone such as Cohn, a public and much-imitated figure, is hard enough.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Silverstone also imitated the runway look by choosing to skip a necklace.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wearing a Tom Ford tuxedo, the prince posed on the green carpet alongside singers Mendes and Minogue, who both performed at his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's 92nd birthday London concert in 2018.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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That was when the practice began of parents withholding food from children who performed badly on their pre-exams as an incentive to study harder.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The first adaptation of author Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel came in 1931, when Boris Karloff portrayed the monster in Frankenstein.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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On the big screen, Harford cared for Sandra Dee’s Rosalie Stocker in The Wild and the Innocent (1959) and portrayed the opportunistic older sister of Natalie Wood’s unstable title character in Inside Daisy Clover (1965), the melodrama directed by Robert Mulligan.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While the Zambian government acted swiftly to neutralize acidity and launch investigations, critics say its response has been too lenient and slow to hold the firm fully accountable.—
Elisha Iragi,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Debbie Allen, who produced, directed, and acted in the OG series, will direct three episodes of the continuation, including the premiere.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As depicted in the film, the real Kelley also got to know Goring’s family, delivering letters from the German military man to his wife.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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Hatchie is the project of Harriette Pilbeam, one part dream-pop, another shoegaze, and which, earlier in her career, the Australian singer and songwriter depicted as a creative mashup of Cocteau Twins with Kylie Minogue.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Kusama interpreted this change as a spontaneous flash of beauty.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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Harbour also recently made headlines following the release of estranged wife Lily Allen's latest album, West End Girl, which contained references many interpreted as pointing toward alleged unfaithfulness on Harbour's part, though the actor isn't explicitly named in the lyrics.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impersonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonated. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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