emulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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emulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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emulated,
past participle, past
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emulating
present participle
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to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass.
to emulate one's father as a concert violinist.
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to rival with some degree of success.
Some smaller cities now emulate the major capitals in their cultural offerings.
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Computers.
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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.
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to replace (software) with hardware to perform the same task.
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adjective
verb
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to attempt to equal or surpass, esp by imitation
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to rival or compete with
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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emulatornoun
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overemulateverb (used with object)
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emulativeadjective
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nonemulativeadjective
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unemulativeadjective
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emulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emulatesimple
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emulatessimple
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have emulatedperfect
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has emulatedperfect
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am emulatingprogressive
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are emulatingprogressive
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is emulatingprogressive
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have been emulatingperfect progressive
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has been emulatingperfect progressive
Past
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emulatedsimple
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had emulatedperfect
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was emulatingprogressive
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were emulatingprogressive
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had been emulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emulate
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin aemulātus, past participle of aemulārī “to rival”; see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing emulate
100 Top "SAT" Words
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In order to test his players’ resiliency, Chesney has implemented “compete periods” throughout his time in Westwood to emulate the speed and intensity of live reps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
He has suggested a new model for the sector could emulate Greater Manchester's bus network, where private operators bid to run services on a franchise basis, with local authorities controlling fares, timetables and routes.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Besides speed, AstraZeneca is also trying to emulate Chinese companies’ simplification and focus on key technologies, Soriot says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But the athletes seeking to emulate Usain Bolt when the Games return to Glasgow - including mile world record holder Josh Kerr - will be competing at Scotstoun Stadium in front of 11,000 spectators.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The prestige-competition, heretofore mostly economic, might force Karhide to emulate its larger neighbor, to become a nation instead of a family quarrel, as Estraven had said; to become, as Estraven had also said, patriotic.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
“You could feel the characters being designed in a way that emulates real-life experiences,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
“I think that the craftsmanship is one of the reasons that the humor works so well and I think the best parody is material that emulates the original source as closely as possible,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
Artificial photosynthesis, which emulates this natural process of photosynthesis, uses sunlight to produce valuable resources, such as hydrogen, and it has garnered attention as a sustainable energy solution.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024
The panel will have a broad remit to examine working practices as well as standards, and emulates a similar committee set up by Tony Blair's Labour government in the wake of its 1997 election win.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2024
He knows Vincent admires and emulates those two.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck examine Greenspan’s legacy and the way it’s being emulated by the Fed’s current chair, Kevin Warsh.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Using an emulated target trial approach, which relies on existing healthcare data rather than traditional clinical trials, the researchers were able to assess outcomes more quickly and efficiently.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026
P&G emulated that approach by asking viewers to pay up to $9.99 to see the entire “Golden Pear Affair,” though they can also unlock future episodes by watching promotional content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
The government's offensive against Al-Shabaab emulated the "Sunni Awakening" strategy of the United States in Iraq in the 2000s, when it backed Sunni Arab tribes against Al-Qaeda.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Though I emulated them, I never thought it possible for a boy from the countryside to rival them in their worldliness.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
She held her arms aloft and pointed to the sky in celebration after emulating Asher-Smith's 100m-200m European double in 2018.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But issues arose when emulating the blue and brown colors, which both require large amounts of Blue No. 1.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
So far, Warsh is emulating the first Greenspan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
“Now a lot of people want self-expression out of drag. They want to portray their own artistic talent through drag, rather than just emulating someone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
He made it seem like I’d be emulating the greatness of the Mahabharata scribe if I finished it.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
