impersonate
verb (used with object)
to assume the character or appearance of; pretend to be.
had been impersonating
-
past perfect progressiveof impersonate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Edwards had been impersonating Basil Fawlty, although a statement from Edwards at the time suggested he had also been impersonating a Welsh footballer.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
A judge there said she had been "impersonating someone with mental illness".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2023
One of the first celebrities to be impersonated on Twitter was Shaquille O’Neal, who joined the platform in November 2008 and said he created an account in part because someone else had been impersonating him.
From New York Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
In the caption beneath, he wrote that someone had been impersonating him on the platform before slyly concluding, “This rudeness has been reported to @instagram and the goddess #Adrestia.”
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2018
For an hour he had been impersonating a gentleman engaged in profound meditation, with the sole result that he had decided to go to see Louise.
From The Girl in the Mirror by Elizabeth Garver Jordan
