Definition of impersonatenext
1
as in to imitate
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior a school intruder was caught trying to impersonate a teacher

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2
as in to portray
to present a portrayal or performance of interpreters at the living history museum impersonate figures who are known to have actually lived in the colonial town

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of impersonate At least two tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz while impersonating ships scrapped long ago, as Iran continues to exert a tight hold on traffic through the waterway. Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026 Duarte’s lucky he wasn’t charged with impersonating a Massachusetts state rep. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026 Authorities allege the group targeted elderly homeowners between 2021 and 2023, stealing personal information and using it to create fake IDs and email accounts to impersonate victims. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026 No outside agencies or businesses will be able to directly hire off-duty police officers through the scheduling platform RollKall after police say a man impersonating law enforcement and killed by SWAT officers earlier this month slipped through the cracks. Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonate
Verb
  • The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
    Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly but were using the human’s choice as a cue to guide their own foraging decisions.
    Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The book portrays an authoritarian near-future Russia where most entertainment and all news comes through Cameras, people wired to transmit their experiences directly from their brains to the internet.
    Stephanie Burt, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Fisher will portray the recurring role of Michael Jorie, a dangerous killer with a warped sense of righteousness and piety to his beliefs that fuel his involvement in a southwestern gang with a long history of violence.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In vivid, dramatic language more befitting of a pulp novel accompanied by fanciful illustrations, the story said that reports of monsters first started surfacing in Canada, only to be met with mocking dismissal in Chicago.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • This festival featured carnivals that included music, costumes, and mocking church rituals.
    Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Jack Plummer, who is now playing for the United Football League’s Orlando Storm, spent the bulk of the 2024 season on the practice squad as a third arm.
    Mike Kaye April 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Emma D'Arcy landed an Emmy nomination playing an older version of Rhaenyra later in Season 1 and stayed the lead in Season 2, though Alcock also reprised her role as a guest star.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • But research also suggests that slower walking performed over a longer duration may initially produce greater total fat loss in overweight individuals than faster walking performed for shorter periods.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
  • But that’s exactly how the night climaxed on Friday (March 27) when the uncanny Argentine duo CA7RIEL y Paco Amoroso took over Canvas on 10th in Chelsea, New York to perform their electrifying new album, Free Spirits, for the first time.
    Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • One video pinned to his profile depicts him on a wild boar hunt, smoking a cigar.
    Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The studded headpiece depicts the sacrifice of a lamb and is considered a national treasure.
    News Desk, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • But no one reading the book will come away with the sense that studies are often contested, or that many of the findings of social psychology and economics remain unsettled, or that results can be interpreted in many ways.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Or they could be interpreted as beams of energy that radiate within and from the more timeless objects Acosta depicts on canvas.
    Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonate. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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