1
as in mocking
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
a school intruder was caught trying to impersonate a teacher
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in playing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impersonating
Scammers who are impersonating Amazon also often claim that there are issues with an order or other problems, too.
—
Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Last year, the FBI warned of an AI scam impersonating top officials, while the use of AI in music continues to be a point of contention.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says criminals are impersonating city and county planning officials in a phishing campaign designed to trick victims into paying fake permit fees.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
These schemes may involve entirely fraudulent organizations or individuals impersonating legitimate nonprofits in order to collect donations and personal information.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Parrott has a long record dating back to the '80s, including multiple arrests for impersonating a police officer.
—John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
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
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
Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Last year, the FBI warned of an AI scam impersonating top officials, while the use of AI in music continues to be a point of contention.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says criminals are impersonating city and county planning officials in a phishing campaign designed to trick victims into paying fake permit fees.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
These schemes may involve entirely fraudulent organizations or individuals impersonating legitimate nonprofits in order to collect donations and personal information.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Parrott has a long record dating back to the '80s, including multiple arrests for impersonating a police officer.
—John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonating
Verb
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Social media is reacting to the latest skit by comedian Druski, mocking women in right-leaning political spaces.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Cubs went from playing in 100-plus degree weather for over a week in Arizona to wind chills in the upper 20s on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field in their 6-2 win over the Angels.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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These are the public spaces that guests mill about in—sipping a berry cooler at the long bar, enjoying a glass of malbec and a read by the stove, or playing monopoly at the communal table.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
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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
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But his lawyers argued there was more at stake than contract law, portraying the Kennedy Center's suit as an effort to intimidate artists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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His Tony Award nomination came for portraying George Washington in Hamilton, the role that brought him widespread recognition.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hail Mary is also performing ahead of expectations overseas, where sci-fi is a notoriously tough genre to sell in certain European countries, as well as key regions in Latin America and Asia.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2026
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The father handed the unresponsive child to the officer, who began performing the Heimlich maneuver, according to DHS.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department, which is ultimately responsible for bringing criminal cases of insider trading, is acting, all too often, as an arm of the White House.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Annual middle-class income requirements are high, ranging from $80,000–$90,000 for a single adult to over $130,000 for families, with housing and childcare acting as primary cost drivers.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Little touches include a selection of books focused on native flora and fauna and art depicting local landscapes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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Now some Republicans are depicting the No Kings movement as a band of radicals, out of step with mainstream political opinion.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This return marks yet another instance where policy in our country and consequential matters like going to war may as well be decided by the positions of constellations or as the ancient Greeks decided – by interpreting the behaviors of birds in the sky.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
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Saturn's long seasonal cycles — each lasting about seven Earth years — also provide important context for interpreting changes in the planet's atmosphere and rings over time.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impersonating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impersonating. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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