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

Life really does imitate art — and Jeremy Strong is here for it. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies. —Sylvie Corbet, arkansasonline.com, 8 Dec. 2024

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump frequently mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening steep tariffs on French wine and champagne if France attempted to tax American companies. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and Champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American companies. —Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 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