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

Lidl must stop selling copycat versions of Birkenstock's famous sandals in the Netherlands, a Dutch court has ruled.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 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

A group of musicians led by Jason Isbell is suing artificial-intelligence music platform Suno, alleging the company allows its users to generate copycat songs based on artists’ names without their permission.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

John followed up like a bratty little sister playing copycat.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

Sekoia also said the possibility remains that all three waves could have been carried out by different and distinct groups or copycats.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

The company has previously pursued copycats, in 2019 winning a landmark case in Beijing against a knockoff Evoque called the Landwind X7.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Going after Chinese copycats posed risks for Driscoll’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

I had less than a minute before the copycats began.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The Somerset-based brewer sued the supermarket chain over claims Aldi had "copycatted" its Cloudy Lemon Cider "in both taste and appearance".

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2024

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

Critics attribute Brazil’s most recent flat Earth craze to poor public education, copycatting from abroad and to the increase in social media use.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2019

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

From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2019

I fully expect there will be more players copycatting.

From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2016

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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