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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But Lemann, to her credit, does not play this for laughs.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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The two entered having played together in only 17 games this season, for a total of 249 minutes.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a message from True Religion to Saba following the incident, the brand said the report was filed due to Saba’s unauthorized entry to the offices by impersonating as a delivery person and his initial refusal to leave, which alarmed the brand’s staff.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
5 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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The installation is a winking reference to the Turing test, the 1950 thought experiment about whether a machine can credibly imitate a person.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Each of the wounded imitated the pain and symptoms of an injury that could happen on the battlefield.—
Chelsea Torres,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In vivid, dramatic language more befitting of a pulp novel accompanied by fanciful illustrations, the story said that reports of monsters first started surfacing in Canada, only to be met with mocking dismissal in Chicago.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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This festival featured carnivals that included music, costumes, and mocking church rituals.—
Paula Soria,
AZCentral.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The indictments — along with a civil lawsuit and grand jury testimony referenced in motions to dismiss the charges — portray Brooks and Smyles as the main drivers of the fights.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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But the reality of having Redford portray him on screen only sunk in after the movie was released.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Keep your eyes open for new opportunities and be ready to act.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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This has parents concerned and states across the political spectrum starting to act.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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