imitate

verb

im·​i·​tate ˈi-mə-ˌtāt 

imitated; imitating

transitive verb

1

: to follow as a pattern, model, or example

2

: mimic, counterfeit

can imitate his father's booming voice

3

: to be or appear like : resemble

4

: to produce a copy of : reproduce

imitator

ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• ape
• copy
• copycat
• emulate
• mime
• mimic

Choose the Right Synonym for imitate

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing.

copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

ape may suggest presumptuous, unoriginal, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Examples of imitate in a Sentence

Her style has been imitated by many other writers.

He's very good at imitating his father's voice.

She can imitate the calls of many different birds.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of that’s by design, but some of that is life imitating art — or satire imitating its target. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2024

Goldman Sachs listed the stock as a top pick among its telecommunications services coverage universe, as the firm expects AT & T to capitalize on strong wireless trends and potentially imitate a share buyback program. —Brian Evans, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2024

In another high-profile incident last July, a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary used AI to imitate Trump's voice in an ad attacking him. —Ivana Saric, Axios, 22 Sep. 2024

Sheen had a seven-year run as a fictional president but had no interest in life imitating art. —Danny Horn, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin imitātus, past participle of imitārī "to follow as a pattern, copy," frequentative derivative of a presumed verb *imā- "make a copy," perhaps going back to Indo-European *h₂im-, whence also Hittite hima-, himma- "substitute, replica, toy"

Note: Aside from Hittite, evidence for an etymon *h₂im- is lacking. See also etymology and note at emulous.

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

imitate

verb

im·​i·​tate ˈim-ə-ˌtāt 

imitated; imitating

1

: to follow as a pattern, model, or example

2

: to be or appear similar to

3

: to copy exactly

imitator

-ˌtāt-ər 

noun