impersonated

verb

past tense of impersonate
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

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 Also charged in the case was Kimberley Pifer, who allegedly impersonated Jett and married Von Ferdinand using Jett’s name, according to Stephan. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Every major publisher, agent, editor, author union, or literary award executive is at risk of being impersonated. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026 According to court documents, between February 2024 and April 2025, Liu and other co-conspirators impersonated government officials to scam victims. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 The agents also allegedly impersonated a moderator on the wiki, using an identical Cyrillic е character in the admin's username instead of the Latin one. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026 His character Ned Schneebly was supposed to be substituting — until Dewey impersonated him and stepped in. — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 The association said the money was lost after criminals impersonated its leadership and manipulated financial transactions. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 More than a year earlier, Arlington, Massachusetts sent four straight monthly payments totaling $446,000 to a criminal who had impersonated a real vendor and asked to switch from paper checks to electronic transfer. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonated
  1. mocked
  2. played
  3. imitated
  4. performed
  5. portrayed
  6. depicted
  7. acted
  8. interpreted
Verb
  • That may earn her the admiration of her college comrades, but at home, she’s seen as an idealistic naif — mocked, in particular, by her older brother Milan (Miodrag Dragicevic), who is staunchly right-wing in his sympathies.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Utah removed the video and apologized, while ESPN defended McAfee’s safety concerns; online reaction largely mocked his response.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of mocked
Verb
  • Both came on fourth down, after the Chiefs had played gallantly near the goal line.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Taaffe and JuJu Brents, who had both played generally well for six games, each was beaten on TD passes in the second half, when Maye went 9 for 10 for 148 yards.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of played
Verb
  • There is a reason this movie is a classic, so often imitated and honored by other directors; Kubrick deftly marries the supernatural with the everyday, just as King does in his novels.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Some reported names resembling Samsung Galaxy flagship models, while others imitated Apple's iPhone naming.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitated
Verb
  • The film includes a live recording of Pascal Dusapin’s Flying River, Violin Concerto, performed by Utopia Orchestra and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Her band has also warmed up crowds at Dallas Cowboys games and performed at the Houston Rodeo.
    — Zoey Goto, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of performed
Verb
  • The Los Angeles city attorney’s office is suing an animal rescue organization that was once a favorite among Hollywood celebrities, alleging that its owner purchased dogs from puppy mills and portrayed them to adopters as animals that were rescued.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There were rumors that Crowley was involved in animal sacrifices and black magic, and headlines portrayed him as a Satanist.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of portrayed
Verb
  • He also was depicted there as the Marlboro Man, a cowboy on horseback and with a white Stetson who could ride to the rescue, on everything from baseball caps to beer cozies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Isabella’s son Federico II seems to have taken more care to have his own pets depicted accurately.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of depicted
Verb
  • The nonprofit Public Citizen noted that Kennedy seems to have acted unilaterally rather than through the typical rulemaking process.
    — Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026
  • James initially acted as his own attorney in challenging his detention as unlawful, calling himself a Jamaica native and claiming citizenship in Lebanon.
    — Ryan J. Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of acted
Verb
  • No, the Foos didn’t augment their lineup with a synth of a saxophone player, instead lead guitarist Chris Shiflett interpreted that famous riff.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2026
  • That layer cake is impossible to precisely chart from the surface, but engineers sent sound waves into the ground and interpreted what echoed up into rough maps.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of interpreted

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Cite this Entry

“Impersonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonated. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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