emulate

American  

[em-yuh-leyt, em-yuh-lit] / ˈɛm yəˌleɪt, ˈɛm yə lɪt /

verb (used with object)

emulated, emulating

1. to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass.

   to emulate one's father as a concert violinist.

   Synonyms:

   copy, follow

2. to rival with some degree of success.

   Some smaller cities now emulate the major capitals in their cultural offerings.

3. Computers.

   1. to imitate (a particular computer system) by using a software system, often including a microprogram or another computer that enables it to do the same work, run the same programs, etc., as the first.

   2. to replace (software) with hardware to perform the same task.

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adjective

1. Obsolete. emulous.

emulate British  

/ ˈɛmjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. to attempt to equal or surpass, esp by imitation

2. to rival or compete with

3. to make one computer behave like (another different type of computer) so that the imitating system can operate on the same data and execute the same programs as the imitated system

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Other Word Forms

• emulative adjective
• emulatively adverb
• emulator noun
• nonemulative adjective
• overemulate verb (used with object)
• unemulative adjective

Etymology

Origin of emulate

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin aemulātus, past participle of aemulārī “to rival”; emulous, -ate ¹

Explanation

When you emulate someone, you imitate them, especially with the idea of matching their success. When someone is impressive because of their great skills, brains, strength, or accomplishments, others will emulate them. To emulate is to imitate and model yourself after someone. People emulate role models — people they want to be like. After Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, player after player tried to emulate Jordan's game and success. It's hard to be as good as someone like that, but having a hero to emulate can be helpful in many areas of life.

Example Sentences

They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Long-maligned communities seek heroes to emulate, to draw hope from, to hang on their walls and share their quotes on social media.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

He draws inspiration from Buffett’s letters, and tries to emulate his clear writing style, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

All hope they can emulate the likes of Anyier Anei, who landed international modelling gigs and recently starred in French film "Coutures".

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Bing Crosby had long been deeply impressed with Howard’s racing success—he once suggested to his wife that they name their son Seabiscuit—but every attempt to emulate his friend ended in spectacular failure.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• follow suit
• imitate
• mimic
• mirror