copycat

American  

[kop-ee-kat] / ˈkɒp iˌkæt /

noun

• copycats
  plural

1. a person or thing that copies, imitates, mimics, or follows the lead of another, as a child who says or does exactly the same as another child.

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adjective

1. imitating or repeating a recent, well-known occurrence.

   a copycat murder.

verb (used with object)

copycatted, copycatting

1. to imitate or mimic.

   new domestic wines that copycat the expensive imports.

2. to copy slavishly; reproduce.

   The clothes were copycatted straight from designer originals.

copycat British  

/ ˈkɒpɪˌkæt /

noun

1. informal

   1. a person, esp a child, who imitates or copies another

   2. ( as modifier )

      copycat murders

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• copycatism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• copycats
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of copycat

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; copy + cat ( def. )

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Explanation

Someone who mimics what you do or say is a copycat. If your little brother orders fettuccine Alfredo after you've already ordered it, you might call him a copycat. The word copycat is a lighthearted, gently derogatory word for a person who imitates someone else. If you love your friend's red shoes so much that you run out and buy identical ones, she might call you a copycat. When a criminal commits a crime that exactly follows the pattern of a previous crime, newspapers often refer to it as a copycat crime. The word has been in use in the United States since at least the 1880s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

copycat copycats copycatted copycatting

Eventually, his interest in our own vernacular building types, with their fusion of copycat gentility and aggressive disdain for anything attractive, came to provide him with much of the material of his art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

She was impressed that the real Skye Prince was calling out the copycat accounts and that she insisted the beds would be free.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Godin's target of choice over the years was the flamboyant French philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy, hit no fewer than eight times between 1985 and 2015, not counting copycat attacks by others around the world.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Education minister Sonny Angara said the government was "very concerned", adding: "We don't want a situation seen in the United States, where there have been concerns about copycat incidents."

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

John followed up like a bratty little sister playing copycat.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

"To protect its retail partners and consumers, Birkenstock will continue to take decisive action against copycats seeking to profit from the company's creative ideas and innovations," it added.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

In the process, private-label brands shook off their reputation as cheap copycats.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

For drugmakers, a clock starts before a drug is even approved: Patents run out, lower-priced copycats flood in and sales collapse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

The group also faces increased competition from copycats in supermarkets, as well as from rival Select, which claims to have invented the spritz in Venice in 1920.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

I had less than a minute before the copycats began.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The Somerset company sued the supermarket chain in 2022 over claims Aldi had "copycatted" its Cloudy Lemon Cider in "taste and appearance".

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2025

Every innovation is quickly copycatted, suddenly making it seem a lot less innovative.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2021

She even finds it difficult to appreciate her fashion sense, which has since been copycatted by many a Free People-loving millennial.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2019

If anything, Krzyzewski has copycatted Calipari’s strategy of recruiting NBA-ready players who are only in college because NBA rules require that they spend a year in school before they’re drafted.

From Time ● Apr. 5, 2015

Politicians from both sides of the aisle have critically lauded it, and at least three other states have copycatted Georgia Work$.

From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2011

As for the burger wars, Saleh said there was some risk for further copycatting.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 25, 2025

The familiar title aside, this miniseries produced by Mindy Kaling isn’t copycatting the original Richard Curtis romcom.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2019

This physical copycatting is behind Ms. de Havilland’s right-of-publicity claim.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2018

“Ask the people at Snapchat about the Kumbaya stuff at Facebook,” said Taplin, referring to the relentless cloning and copycatting of the smaller competitor’s features to the point where it is now financially struggling.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 3, 2017

But in the circles that count, it’s clear that Chipotle is regarded as a major innovator, attracting what all major innovators attract: copycatting.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2012

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