impersonation

[ im-pur-suh-ney-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of pretending to be someone else, with intent to mislead or deceive:

   The argument for requiring voter IDs is that states must guard against impersonation and other flagrant voter fraud.

2. the act of mimicking the voice, mannerisms, etc., of another person, usually someone well-known and especially in order to entertain:

   As a youth worker he found he could make teenagers laugh by doing impersonations of movie stars.

3. the act of playing the part of a character in a play:

   In the one-woman play, her impersonations of minor characters don't ring with authenticity, and her body movements are a bit severe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of impersonation¹

im- ¹( def ) + personat(e) ¹( def ) + -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

“You don’t want it to be an impersonation.”

From Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office filed felony charges of identity theft, false impersonation and grand theft against Porter, according to Burbank police.

From Los Angeles Times

The "Saturday Night Live" cast member and writer slammed Musk following his comments on the sketch comedy show's impersonation of himself and president-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

From Salon

The Harris sketch also gave cast member James Austin Johnson another crack at his uncanny Trump impersonation.

From Salon

“This is an interpretation, not an impersonation,” said Auberjonois of her approach.

From Los Angeles Times