emulate

[ verb em-yuh-leyt; adjective em-yuh-lit ]

verb (used with object)

, em·u·lat·ed, em·u·lat·ing.

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.

adjective

1. Obsolete. emulous.

emulate

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈemuˌlator, noun
• ˈemulatively, adverb
• ˈemulative, adjective

Other Words From

• em·u·la·tive adjective
• em·u·la·tive·ly adverb
• em·u·la·tor noun
• non·em·u·la·tive adjective
• o·ver·em·u·late verb (used with object) overemulated overemulating
• un·em·u·la·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of emulate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of emulate¹

C16: from Latin aemulārī, from aemulus competing with; probably related to imitārī to imitate

Example Sentences

In 2019, Apple filed a lawsuit against Corellium, which lets security researchers cheaply and easily test mobile devices by emulating their software rather than requiring them to access the physical devices.

From MIT Technology Review

What’s more, some even sought to emulate the physical attributes the aforementioned TB unleashed upon its victims.

From Ozy

Britain’s example has been emulated by Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand.

From Time

Of course, you should still run your own experiments, but it’s just more capital-efficient to emulate than to trial-and-error from scratch.

From TechCrunch

In 2020, the Baltimore Museum of Art moved to acquire works by female artists only for a 12-month period, a strategic shift that could be emulated to promote traditionally underrepresented artists of color as well.

From Ozy

As you exit your teenage years, are there artist you would like to emulate?

From The Daily Beast

The experience is intended to emulate being taken hostage, which feels strange in these very real ISIS horror-drenched times.

From The Daily Beast

A role model is someone whose behaviors one seeks to emulate.

From The Daily Beast

In Chicago, you have rappers like Chief Keef posing with guns, and the young kids there emulate that.

From The Daily Beast

This is not an example that current governments and institutions should emulate.

From The Daily Beast

We shall, I know, emulate their steadfastness and achieve a result which will confer added laurels to French and British arms.

From Project Gutenberg

She had no wish to emulate, but neither did she relish feeling provincial, a chit, an outsider.

From Project Gutenberg

For, in the first place, who would wish to emulate extraordinary catastrophes?

From Project Gutenberg

"And one that an Englishman may do well to emulate," returned Bluewater.

From Project Gutenberg

Neither do I mean that we should set out to emulate the happy cannibals in the South Seas.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• follow suit
• imitate
• mimic
• mirror