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impersonate

[ verb im-pur-suh-neyt; adjective im-pur-suh-nit, -neyt ]
/ verb ɪmˈpɜr səˌneɪt; adjective ɪmˈpɜr sə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impersonate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), im·per·son·at·ed, im·per·son·at·ing.

to assume the character or appearance of; pretend to be: He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
to mimic the voice, mannerisms, etc., of (a person) in order to entertain.
to act or play the part of; personate.
Archaic. to represent in personal or bodily form; personify; typify.

adjective

embodied in a person; invested with personality.

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RELATED WORDS

portray, imitate, mimic, represent, play, ditto, do, perform, fake, mirror, act, enact, ape, personate, playact

Nearby words

  1. imperscriptible,
  2. impersonal,
  3. impersonalism,
  4. impersonality,
  5. impersonalize,
  6. impersonation,
  7. impersonator,
  8. impertinence,
  9. impertinency,
  10. impertinent

Origin of impersonate

First recorded in 1615–25; im-1 + person + -ate1
Related formsim·per·son·a·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impersonate

British Dictionary definitions for impersonate

impersonate

/ (ɪmˈpɜːsəˌneɪt) /

verb (tr)

to pretend to be (another person)
to imitate the character, mannerisms, etc, of (another person)
rare to play the part or character of
an archaic word for personify
Derived Formsimpersonation, nounimpersonator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for impersonate

impersonate

v.

1620s, "to invest with a personality," from assimilated form of Latin in- "into, in" (see in- (2)) + persona "person." Sense of "to assume the person or character of" is first recorded 1715. Earlier in same sense was personate (1610s). Related: Impersonated; impersonating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper