impersonate

[ verb im-pur-suh-neyt; adjective im-pur-suh-nit ]

verb (used with object)

, im·per·son·at·ed, im·per·son·at·ing.

1. to assume the character or appearance of; pretend to be:

   He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.

2. to mimic the voice, mannerisms, etc., of (a person) in order to entertain.
3. to act or play the part of; personate.
4. Archaic. to represent in personal or bodily form; personify; typify.

adjective

, Archaic or Literary.

1. embodied in a person; invested with personality.

impersonate

/ ɪmˈpɜːsəˌneɪt /

verb

1. to pretend to be (another person)
2. to imitate the character, mannerisms, etc, of (another person)
3. rare.
   to play the part or character of
4. an archaic word for personify

Derived Forms

• imˌpersonˈation, noun
• imˈpersonˌator, noun

Other Words From

• im·per·son·a·tion [im-pur-s, uh, -, ney, -sh, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of impersonate¹

First recorded in 1615–25; im- ¹ + person + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Instead of Logan Paul, a lookalike arrived and sat down in front of our reporter, Matt Shea, and began impersonating the YouTuber.

From BBC

The “digital arrest” scam involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officials on video calls, threatening victims with arrest over fake charges, and pressuring them to transfer large sums of money.

From BBC

"And to understand that impersonating or pretending to be somebody… it's not victimless. It is very real and its psychological impact is particularly strong."

From BBC

Hospital staff contacted the Police Department in May after discovering Porter was impersonating a real registered nurse who lived out of state, detectives said.

From Los Angeles Times

It came instead from someone impersonating the supposed buyer.

From BBC

Related Words

• act like
• imitate
• masquerade as
• mimic
• portray
• pose as