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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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within director Kenny Leon’s Broadway production by Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within Kenny Leon’s Broadway production at Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Julián Jiménez Catholic Charities has publicly warned that its representatives are being impersonated to scam immigrants.—
Albinson Linares,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another potential treatment route the study opens up is using machines to massage cancer cells, imitating the rhythmic beating of the heart.—
Anil Oza,
STAT,
23 Apr. 2026
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While using Rallee, students might jump in place to help their avatar clear an obstacle or imitate their avatar by stretching their arms wide while taking a deep breath.—
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo,
The Conversation,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The former housekeeper for Jenner further claims that she was mocked for her accent and degraded.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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The diary writing nurtures an internal life by giving oxygen to what previously had been ephemeral, easily self-mocked as inappropriate, or troubling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Max Clayton also makes a strong impression as Danny Bailey, a swaggering leading man modeled after Carousel’s Billy Bigelow and portrayed on the series by Aaron Tveit.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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Critics say the event has a highly partisan list of participants and is part of a larger project to connect America's upcoming 250th birthday with a Christian nationalist vision that portrays the nation's founding as essentially Christian, something many historians dispute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Officials say that general counsel Karen Buffkin will serve in an acting leadership role to ensure continuity of operations while the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education determines next steps in the selection of new leadership.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
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To sniff out the atomic hydrogen — the more diffuse, cooler gas that acts as the initial, sprawling reservoir for future star formation — the team harnessed the immense power of China's Five Hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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