personating

present participle of personate
as in mocking
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for personating
Verb
  • Katherine del Rio took to social media to post, then delete, a couple of Instagram Stories mocking Leah Lewis following the incident on the set of the CBS drama.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
  • It has also been used as a derogatory term, mocking immigrant culture in Lima during the mass migrations of Indigenous Andean people to Lima in the 20th century.
    NPR, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Heimpold was personally charged with impersonating a police officer for allegedly robbing multiple people in 2021.
    Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2025
  • This kind of fraud, resembling that experienced by Anthony, exploits a person’s emotions, inciting fear and anxiety, by impersonating a grandchild or other family member in distress.
    Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Its return is part of the 2026 Banana Ball World Tour and the launch of the Banana Ball Championship League, with all six league teams playing a 60-game schedule culminating in the Banana Bowl Championship next October.
    Shane Connuck October 9, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2025
  • After close to two decades had been spent playing professional football, mainly in the EFL, there was no clarity on what would come next when retirement came to his door.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Watch the full collection of Survivor 49 players hilariously imitating Probst making fun of them during a challenge in the video at the top of the article.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
  • And in Ukraine, youngsters tussle in make-believe war, imitating soldiers as the real conflict rages on.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Andrew Garfield is leading the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Trump then spoke before the Israeli Knesset, portraying the ceasefire as a personal and unparalleled victory.
    Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Aside from acting and filmmaking, Keaton was a talented writer, singer, and photographer, publishing the photo books Reservations (1980) and Saved (2022).
    Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Outside of acting and filmmaking, Keaton was a talented writer, photographer and singer, publishing the photo books Reservations (1980) and Saved (2022).
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Personating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personating. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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