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
Relevance
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
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 impersonated
Later, investigators found that an adult woman had impersonated the child, who was already dead at the time, during that video call.
—
Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Federal investigators said the group impersonated security technicians and employees of cryptocurrency exchange companies such as Coinbase and Gemini to steal from their victims.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Julián Jiménez Catholic Charities has publicly warned that its representatives are being impersonated to scam immigrants.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The switch from country superstar to incognito face in the crowd feels Hannah Montana-coded — fitting for a singer who impersonated the Disney icon at parties before finding fame herself.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
After obtaining victims’ personally identifiable information, Burge and Bospflug impersonated the victims at banks and opened accounts in the victims’ names, prosecutors said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
In 2023, Reuters reported that two of its reporters in China were being impersonated via Instagram and Telegram accounts that were attempting to get information on activists protesting the country’s COVID-19 policies.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
The account, which impersonated Jonathan’s veterinarian, Joe Hollins, quickly gained traction and sparked concern among fans around the world.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
But the mechanics of the fraud stay largely the same regardless of which badge is being impersonated.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Federal investigators said the group impersonated security technicians and employees of cryptocurrency exchange companies such as Coinbase and Gemini to steal from their victims.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Julián Jiménez Catholic Charities has publicly warned that its representatives are being impersonated to scam immigrants.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The switch from country superstar to incognito face in the crowd feels Hannah Montana-coded — fitting for a singer who impersonated the Disney icon at parties before finding fame herself.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
After obtaining victims’ personally identifiable information, Burge and Bospflug impersonated the victims at banks and opened accounts in the victims’ names, prosecutors said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
In 2023, Reuters reported that two of its reporters in China were being impersonated via Instagram and Telegram accounts that were attempting to get information on activists protesting the country’s COVID-19 policies.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
The account, which impersonated Jonathan’s veterinarian, Joe Hollins, quickly gained traction and sparked concern among fans around the world.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
But the mechanics of the fraud stay largely the same regardless of which badge is being impersonated.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonated
Verb
-
Strickland then mocked Chimaev for refusing to fight in the parking lot.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The burger became a viral sensation after Kempczinski posted a video of himself taking a nibble from one and was mocked for his tentative bite.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Curry played in five games after surgery to repair a broken second metacarpal.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
-
Nobody had seen a second round playoff game played in Minnesota in more than a decade.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
For starters, as Anthropic’s explicit focus on mitigating the risks of AI has apparently won the trust of many consumers, OpenAI has imitated many of its rival’s safety initiatives.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The tradition of throwing confetti from the stands became popular during the 1978 World Cup hosted by Argentina and was later imitated by fans around the globe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some of the greatest arias in the genre, performed flawlessly by Jonathan Tetelman.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Blue Origin New Glenn mission on payload Blue Ring’s first mission with initial injection into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), with additional services performed in Geostationary Orbit (GEO).—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Raman portrayed herself as the focus of attacks from both opponents, Bass’ campaign rejected that framing as a distraction from her debate performance and City Council record.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
The villain-combo movie would put the breathing-apparatus Batman baddie, Bane, back on screen for his first appearance since 2012’s Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight Rises, then portrayed by Tom Hardy.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The federal judge in that case ruled that a jury could find that State Farm had acted in bad faith if the plaintiffs' lawyers demonstrated that the company ignored certain kinds of hail damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The April 22 incident took place during dismissal in the Hancock County School District, which said students acted quickly to safely stop the bus, contact emergency services and remain calm until help arrived.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Space kills with patience, and often much more painfully than the instant deaths depicted in cinema, unfolding over seconds, days, minutes, or even years.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
Pratt’s campaign video depicted a bustling, lively, and clean Los Angeles.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
While Leo’s predecessors often had their words interpreted or subtitled in English, the current pope speaks in a mid-western accent, allowing his words and interventions to have a greater impact with an anglophone audience.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
Several observers fear the sanctions are being interpreted domestically as evidence that Washington is prepared to tolerate constitutional changes so long as Tshisekedi remains aligned with US strategic interests.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impersonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonated. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
