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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
  • Up in Scotland, meanwhile, marbles were lost as Rangers, who played most of the match with 10 men after an early red card for defender Robin Propper, hung on through a goalless battle with Athletic Club.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Whitaker is played by Gerran Howell, who carried the title role on the CBBC's Young Dracula (2006–2014) before appearing on NBC's Emerald City (2017) and Hulu's adaptation of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (2019).
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Callers reported that the men were impersonating federal immigration officials and recording their confrontations with community members.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Separately, police at Philadelphia's Temple University are investigating after two students were accused of impersonating ICE agents at a campus business earlier this month.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The Cubs beat the Dodgers 16-0 on Saturday, featuring an entertaining moment in which position-player-pitching Miguel Rojas imitated the deliveries of a few Dodgers pitchers.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Moreover, these models can imitate individuals' or industries' writing styles and wording.
    Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Constance, the policy consultant, says his 29-year-old daughter had joined other liberal family members in mocking him over his participation in NatalCon.
    Meena Duerson, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Altman mocked Musk by making a counter-offer to buy X for $9.7 billion.
    Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In the 1998 classic — which saw Lindsay Lohan in her film debut — Quaid portrayed vineyard owner Nick Parker, the father of twins Hallie and Annie (both Lohan), who convince him to reunite with their mother Elizabeth (played by Natasha Richardson).
    Brendan Le, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The Oscar winner portrays a former president leading an investigation in the aftermath of a deadly national cyber attack.
    Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • How to act during strong winds Take shelter: Immediately go inside a sturdy building during a high wind warning or severe thunderstorm warning and move to an interior room or basement.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Teaching candidates who go through a four-year degree program or a high-quality alternative certification program spend many hours in classrooms watching effective teachers working with students and acting as student teachers themselves.
    Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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