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

Etymology

Origin of copycat

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

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

But with what seems like a Ripper copycat on the loose, everyone needs to put aside their preconceived notions and figure out what’s going on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

And soon they will face a cheaper rival: copycat versions of Keytruda itself could be on the market by 2028.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

A 2017 report by Kenya's National Crime Research Centre blamed exam stress and long school terms and said students in different schools were communicating via smuggled phones, leading to copycat acts.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

Meanwhile with deep pockets – hundreds of billions if not trillions – and enough time, most experts agree a company could build a copycat of Amazon's e-commerce platform.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

John followed up like a bratty little sister playing copycat.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

“Those copycats up north aren’t going to be stealing this one,” said Spiegel, as the crowd erupted into applause and laughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

So, naturally, there's a whole Liszt of copycats in 2026.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

As a result, its high-profile acquisition by Meta angered Beijing, which feared copycats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

The formula still entertains, sure, but its bite has been blunted by the weight of copycats that came after the first installment.

From Salon ● Mar. 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

Copyright law is well equipped to differentiate between slightly derivative human ingenuity and reductive copycatting.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2023

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

From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2019

Needing a video to match, the director, Katherine Dieckmann, determined to break down Michael Stipe’s “staid” public image with this mildly aerobic, entirely charming routine that provoked much playground copycatting.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 4, 2019

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

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2018