as in to play
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
likes to personate the man of the world, but he's still the small-town hick that he always was
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of personate
Till’s motifs swept though the ensemble, as horns, clarinets, bassoons, violin all had a chance to personate the character.
—
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
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Kirk played a pivotal role in helping Republicans close the gap among young voters in 2024.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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The Astros are now one game behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, with two games to play.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investigators have since arrested at least three members of Scattered Spider, a group known to be made up of native English-language speakers who excel at social engineering tactics, including impersonating customer support to phish company employees.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
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So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fact that these programs are becoming adept at imitating consciousness, however, may be all that matters for now.—
Webb Wright,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
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Multiple images of Trump then pop up behind the New York lawmaker seemingly to imitate a mariachi band.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fonzi’s second directorial outing tells the gripping story of Julieta, a young woman imprisoned after suffering a miscarriage, and Soledad Deza (portrayed by Fonzi herself), the courageous lawyer who dares to fight for justice in this deeply controversial and high-stakes case.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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Both women played Effie White, with Holliday portraying the role first on Broadway, earning her a Grammy and Tony.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The wristbands also act as a communication device between players, allowing coordination across the grid.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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Pending review of the documents, the two groups could file a derivative lawsuit, which allows shareholders to act on behalf of a company and sue the corporation’s own directors and officers, as well as other third parties who may have harmed the company.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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