impersonate

[ verb im-pur-suh-neyt; adjective im-pur-suh-nit ]
See synonyms for: impersonateimpersonation on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. to act or play the part of; personate.

  2. Archaic. to represent in personal or bodily form; personify; typify.

adjectiveArchaic or Literary.
  1. embodied in a person; invested with personality.

Origin of impersonate

1
First recorded in 1615–25; im-1 + person + -ate1

Other words from impersonate

  • im·per·son·a·tion [im-pur-suh-ney-shuhn], /ɪmˌpɜr səˈneɪ ʃən/, noun

Words Nearby impersonate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use impersonate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impersonate

impersonate

/ (ɪmˈpɜːsəˌneɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to pretend to be (another person)

  2. to imitate the character, mannerisms, etc, of (another person)

  1. rare to play the part or character of

  2. an archaic word for personify

Derived forms of impersonate

  • impersonation, noun
  • impersonator, noun

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