impersonate
Americanverb (used with object)
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impersonates,
present (3rd person singular)
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impersonated,
past participle, past
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impersonating
present participle
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to assume the character or appearance of; pretend to be.
He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
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to mimic the voice, mannerisms, etc., of (a person) in order to entertain.
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to act or play the part of; personate.
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Archaic. to represent in personal or bodily form; personify; typify.
adjective
verb
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to pretend to be (another person)
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to imitate the character, mannerisms, etc, of (another person)
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rare to play the part or character of
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an archaic word for personify
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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impersonatesimple
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impersonatessimple
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have impersonatedperfect
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has impersonatedperfect
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am impersonatingprogressive
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are impersonatingprogressive
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is impersonatingprogressive
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have been impersonatingperfect progressive
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has been impersonatingperfect progressive
Past
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impersonatedsimple
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had impersonatedperfect
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was impersonatingprogressive
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were impersonatingprogressive
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had been impersonatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impersonate
Explanation
Impersonate means to pretend to be someone you're not. If you impersonate a bank teller in order to gain access to the money in the vault, you better hope nobody at the bank asks you any questions. Impersonate comes from the Latin in and persona, meaning "to invest with a personality." It often is used to describe someone posing as someone else for criminal purposes, but you can also impersonate someone for comedic effect. You may have seen actors on television do this. They impersonate politicians and celebrities by wearing wigs and makeup and try to match the famous person's mannerisms and way of speaking as closely as possible.
Vocabulary lists containing impersonate
The Secret Life of Bees
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 5–February 11, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Tarrant said he was also aware of AI being used to impersonate his voice in messages and videos and it was "scary".
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The mailings don’t impersonate, or claim to represent, a union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
For example, they can be trained to impersonate someone.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Detectives believe someone used the elder Hou’s cellphone to impersonate him for more than a month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
If I tried to impersonate a British person, like that, Libby would tell me I’m working too hard and ruining the scene.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
This can occur when a company impersonates an airline’s customer-service number or site, often by buying a sponsored ad on a search platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Staff spotted a suspicious invitation to a meeting earlier on Friday and realised it was "spear-phishing" - which impersonates a trusted source.
From BBC ● May 9, 2025
With Thursday’s criminal complaint containing allegations of phone conversations in which Mizuhara actually impersonates Ohtani to gain access to the money, I believe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
“What happens if an international entity — a cybercriminal or a nation state — impersonates someone. What is the impact? Do we have any recourse?”
From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2023
He evidently impersonates a member of the horse marines, for he executes elaborate imitations of pulling ropes, reefing and furling sails.
From Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 35, November 26, 1870 by Various
More than 60 of its organizations that provide direct legal services have been impersonated by con artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
In San Diego, attorneys working for the city have been impersonated by scammers.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
The documents mention the initials of three players — X.M, D.N. and M.P. — that were impersonated during the alleged scheme.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Writing tool Grammarly has disabled an AI feature which mimicked personas of prominent writers, including Stephen King and scientist Carl Sagan, following a backlash from people impersonated.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
Dumbledore smiled at Harry and directed him toward a chair not unlike the one that Slughorn had so recently impersonated, which stood right beside the newly burning fire and a brightly glowing oil lamp.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Their younger brother, Tillotson, meanwhile, incites mayhem among local churchgoers by impersonating an angel, much to his sisters’ dismay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The fabricated content appeared on X in posts impersonating legitimate French media outlets and falsely claimed that Attal had Parkinson's disease and that Philippe had contracted an illness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
“There were too many fake profiles impersonating me,” Barton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
In 2019, Riches was sentenced to an additional five years probation for impersonating Jared Loughner while fraudulently suing former U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
I reasoned with the strange shadows impersonating my family, and when reasoning failed, I lied.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
