Imitate

//ˈɪmɪteɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.

    "Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music."

  2. 2
    make a reproduction or copy of wordnet
  3. 3
    reproduce someone's behavior or looks wordnet
  4. 4
    appear like, as in behavior or appearance wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
copysimulateact likeadoptaffectape

Example

More examples

"Tom can imitate the singer to a hair."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imitātus, perfect active participle of imitor (“to copy, portray, imitate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French imiter.

Related phrases

self-imitate

More for "imitate"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.