1
as in mocking
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 playing
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
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Recent Examples of impersonating
Last year, Amazon reported a 33% spike in scammers impersonating its customer service.
—
Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Two of their supporters were so desperate to be at the game away to Crystal Palace yesterday that they were arrested on suspicion of impersonating stewards (nice try).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Clinton Wayne Nelan, 33, of Elkins, who was arrested Sunday, is charged with misuse of a local emergency telephone system and impersonating a law enforcement officer, according to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Another person whom Ferrell had fun impersonating was Jeopardy host Alex Trebek in Celebrity Jeopardy skits.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
That scheme involved operatives impersonating recruiters and executive search consultants on LinkedIn and Telegram and then sending unwitting job-seeking targets standard technical coding tests laced with malware.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 May 2026
ShinyHunters is known for making English-language phone calls and impersonating employees to trick company employees into handing over access to their IT systems.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, warns that someone impersonating a school district, for example, could send a malicious message prompting users to reset their Canvas password.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
For Oakley, being a drag king is about challenging masculinity rather than impersonating someone, which is what older male impersonators have traditionally done.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Two of their supporters were so desperate to be at the game away to Crystal Palace yesterday that they were arrested on suspicion of impersonating stewards (nice try).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Clinton Wayne Nelan, 33, of Elkins, who was arrested Sunday, is charged with misuse of a local emergency telephone system and impersonating a law enforcement officer, according to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Another person whom Ferrell had fun impersonating was Jeopardy host Alex Trebek in Celebrity Jeopardy skits.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
That scheme involved operatives impersonating recruiters and executive search consultants on LinkedIn and Telegram and then sending unwitting job-seeking targets standard technical coding tests laced with malware.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 May 2026
ShinyHunters is known for making English-language phone calls and impersonating employees to trick company employees into handing over access to their IT systems.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, warns that someone impersonating a school district, for example, could send a malicious message prompting users to reset their Canvas password.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
For Oakley, being a drag king is about challenging masculinity rather than impersonating someone, which is what older male impersonators have traditionally done.
—Nicole MacIas Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonating
Verb
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In Sunday’s video, Bovino implied Mullin was not cut out for the job, mocking his family’s plumbing business.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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Counter after counter resulted in Laredo Kid mocking Penta from the second rope.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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New York leads, 12-7, after a pair of early 3-pointers and by playing fast to try to get ahead of the defense of Victor Wembanyama.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
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Hanging on his wall as inspiration was a rhapsodic review of My Left Foot, which earned Daniel Day-Lewis his first Oscar for playing a guy with cerebral palsy.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
Verb
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In a case of life imitating art, this whodunnit explores the investigation behind her disappearance, strangely resembling one of Christie’s own novels, where everyone in her life becomes a suspect, including her brother, Monty (Trevena).—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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Zoe, born seven years later, grew up watching them, imitating them and wanting to be them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Among them was Viola Davis, who earned her second Oscar nomination for portraying Aibileen Clark, a maid working for a white family in the 1960s.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
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He's played by Jamie Hector, best known for portraying Jerry Edgar on Bosch and gangster Marlo Stanfield on The Wire.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny is performing two shows of his 10-concert Spanish tour in the capital.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
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One account notes that a firefighter was called to assist with moving Hogan from the residence, while other members of the Clearwater Fire Department were already performing lifesaving measures.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The president acting alone can’t change that.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
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That’s why the original voices of legacy filmmakers are worth protecting, even when some of that group’s AI advocates seem hell-bent on acting against the industry’s long-term best interests.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
Verb
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By depicting the specific shade of green in the Café Vida awning to the correct number of spokes in the rose window at the Community United Methodist Church, Dal Bello hoped to bring the places that colored his childhood alive.—
Sam Mulick,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
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Carney is a moralist, a filmmaker of fidelity—and of renunciation, depicting the romantic near-misses and what-ifs that his characters leave behind.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Whether re-interpreting traditional stories and designs or expressing contemporary issues affecting tribal societies, Native glass artists have created a content-laden body of work.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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There is a range in how prostate cancer experts are interpreting the results, however.—
Angus Chen,
STAT,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impersonating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonating. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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