impersonate

American  

[im-pur-suh-neyt, im-pur-suh-nit] / ɪmˈpɜr səˌneɪt, ɪmˈpɜr sə nɪt /

verb (used with object)

impersonated, impersonating

1. to assume the character or appearance of; pretend to be.

   He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.

2. to mimic the voice, mannerisms, etc., of (a person) in order to entertain.

3. to act or play the part of; personate.

4. Archaic. to represent in personal or bodily form; personify; typify.

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adjective

Archaic or Literary.

1. embodied in a person; invested with personality.

impersonate British  

/ ɪmˈpɜːsəˌneɪt /

verb

1. to pretend to be (another person)

2. to imitate the character, mannerisms, etc, of (another person)

3. rare to play the part or character of

4. an archaic word for personify

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Other Word Forms

• impersonation
  noun
• impersonator
  noun

Etymology

Origin of impersonate

First recorded in 1615–25; im- ¹ + person + -ate ¹

Explanation

Impersonate means to pretend to be someone you're not. If you impersonate a bank teller in order to gain access to the money in the vault, you better hope nobody at the bank asks you any questions. Impersonate comes from the Latin in and persona, meaning "to invest with a personality." It often is used to describe someone posing as someone else for criminal purposes, but you can also impersonate someone for comedic effect. You may have seen actors on television do this. They impersonate politicians and celebrities by wearing wigs and makeup and try to match the famous person's mannerisms and way of speaking as closely as possible.

Example Sentences

Impersonate a competent person Anybody who hunts with me regularly knows that I am essentially useless.

From Time Magazine Archive

Impersonate the hero, and you will win the heroine.

From Supreme Personality by Croft, Delmer Eugene

Related Words

• act like
• imitate
• masquerade as
• mimic
• portray
• pose as