1
as in mocks
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 plays
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 impersonates
Like that video where Bryan Cranston impersonates Art Garfunkel at Central Park, and his bouffant gets bigger every time the camera cuts back.
—
Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Feb. 2026
Those that fear dust mites and other allergens will be pleased to know this $40 pick from Quince impersonates hotel luxury pillows without the goose down or the price point.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 19 Feb. 2026
When an escaped Eleven finds her way to a diner (the image of a bald Brown in a hospital gown shoving fries into her mouth is indelible), Brenner’s team impersonates social services, kills the kind proprietor, but fails to apprehend her.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
The scam impersonates Walmart and claims someone has made an expensive PS5 order through the user’s account.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
If targets dispute the claims, they are transferred to another caller, who impersonates Chinese law enforcement.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Friedland then impersonates his grandmother’s South African accent, to Kind’s delight.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Brit star David Mitchell picked up a best actor nomination for his turn as a socially awkward puzzle-maker who impersonates his missing detective twin brother, in BBC hit Ludwig, with the show also scoring a best comedy nom.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
An evil twin hotspot is a wireless network that impersonates a legitimate one by copying its name, also known as the SSID.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Feb. 2026
Those that fear dust mites and other allergens will be pleased to know this $40 pick from Quince impersonates hotel luxury pillows without the goose down or the price point.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 19 Feb. 2026
When an escaped Eleven finds her way to a diner (the image of a bald Brown in a hospital gown shoving fries into her mouth is indelible), Brenner’s team impersonates social services, kills the kind proprietor, but fails to apprehend her.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
The scam impersonates Walmart and claims someone has made an expensive PS5 order through the user’s account.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
If targets dispute the claims, they are transferred to another caller, who impersonates Chinese law enforcement.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Friedland then impersonates his grandmother’s South African accent, to Kind’s delight.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Brit star David Mitchell picked up a best actor nomination for his turn as a socially awkward puzzle-maker who impersonates his missing detective twin brother, in BBC hit Ludwig, with the show also scoring a best comedy nom.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
An evil twin hotspot is a wireless network that impersonates a legitimate one by copying its name, also known as the SSID.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonates
Verb
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Generally speaking, Normand playfully mocks all sorts of different groups rather equally.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the dance, Barnes plays a library page on her lunch hour who has to deliver five research requests to patrons.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Making plays often for his teammates, Banchero added six assists, but turned the ball over five times.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Aristotle said that art imitates nature (ars imitatur naturam), and for centuries, many artists sought to imitate their subjects as realistically as possible.—
Andrey Mir,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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Whether or not life imitates art remains to be seen.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the Tim Burton–directed gothic fantasy-romance the actor quite literally portrays a humanoid with scissor blades for hands.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
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Lewis portrays Curator as a frustrated employee pushing against institutional norms and stagnation, balancing exasperation and displaying a knack for physical comedy.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Deocampo also is the co-founder of ARKADE, a 25-member K-pop dance team that performs throughout Southern California.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Later Saturday, Wiseman and Glover planned to take a turn at manually piloting the Orion capsule to help engineers better understand how the spacecraft performs in flight and to provide hands-on feedback for future Artemis astronauts.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Picasso created the work, which depicts the assault on Guernica, in 1937 for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris Universal Exposition.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
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The first piece inside the galleries, a 1967 painting by the German artist Maina-Miriam Munsky, depicts a schematic outline of a cube struggling to contain a mass of dreamy flesh.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, your brain only interprets it through information collected by cells in your eye’s retinas called cones.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
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Instead of depending on symmetry, the robot continuously interprets signals from the remaining sensor and adjusts its movement accordingly.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impersonates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonates. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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