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
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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
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
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Players who for years were starved for the chance to play meaningful games on behalf of their country now would be able to face-off for international bragging rights.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC News,
21 Feb. 2025
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Vaccination rates might also be playing a role, Brull said.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Authorities in New York City are searching for a man who allegedly impersonated a federal immigration enforcement agent before trying to rape a 51-year-old woman in broad daylight, according to police sources.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
12 Feb. 2025
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One of those bills also would crack down on people who impersonate first responders during a wildfire.—
Anabel Sosa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For example, a light lavender lining peeks out from underneath the tool of the Rapunzel dress, which can be paired with a long, dramatic boa to imitate her lustrous mane.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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Between the lines: The BRT experience aims to imitate the experience of a subway or train.—
Andrew King,
Axios,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Most of your editorials, John Brummett, Rex Nelson, and John Deering, are blatant Trump haters, and their smug, condescending echo-chamber mindsets are constantly denigrating, mocking, and disrespecting at least 64 percent of your potential readers.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Feb. 2025
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On a later episode of SNL, Madonna mocked O’Connor by ripping up a photo of then-tabloid fixture Joey Buttafuoco.—
Shannon Carlin,
TIME,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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We haven't been totally shut out, but we haven't been portrayed in this particular way.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, Echikunwoke will portray Lt. Gabrielle Bennett, a former trainee of Jason’s at the Philly PD.—
Gabriela Silva,
TVLine,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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All offseason long the Red Sox have spoken about the need to act with urgency to restore the club to its place as a perennial contender, but after five years of falling short those words were beginning to ring hollow with many fans.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2025
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Lincoln is gradually radicalized to act and Douglass learns how to moderate his message to sway politicians.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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