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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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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While physicians don’t have a definitive answer as to why heart failure typically causes cognitive decline, the following factors may play a role: Changes to the heart.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
Health,
16 May 2025
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On top of playing each of their divisional rivals twice per usual, there are many great out-of-division and out-of-conference games also lined up.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Verb
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This ends up leaving her vulnerable, of course, but even so, Erivo chose a fragrance for the real Felicity before another sister begins impersonating her.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
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Armed with doctored invoices, the fraudsters impersonate the staff of legitimate companies in order to divert cargo into the hands of criminals.—
Courtney Reagan,Scott Zamost,
CNBC,
9 May 2025
Verb
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At Cruise’s behest, McQuarrie’s stunts imitate the most primitive filmmaking — not the awe-inspiring magic of Georges Méliès but the Lumière brothers’ rudimentary documentation of action.—
Armond White,
National Review,
23 May 2025
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Walton imitated the big-box retail store and located them in small towns.—
Dileep Rao,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Read: The attack on trans rights won’t end there The impossible becoming possible is a hard thing to process—and easier to reject or mock than to understand.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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Film director Wes Anderson mocked President Donald Trump over his plan to slap tariffs on foreign films made outside of the United States.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Why is she being portrayed as silly and incompetent?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Pattinson portrays Lawrence's husband in the movie, while LaKeith Stanfield portrays her lover.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
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The agency's acting chief recently said FEMA plans to give states more responsibility for disaster recovery in anticipation of hurricane season, the Associated Press reported.—
Neal Earley,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
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Wages for Housework may not have been a practical movement, but a government that acted on its ideas of what wives and mothers need would be more likely to stimulate a baby boom than one offering a single check for each birth.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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