look-alike

American  

[look-uh-lahyk] / ˈlʊk əˌlaɪk /

Or lookalike

noun

1. a person or thing that looks like or closely resembles another; double.

2. a compatible.

   The leading brand of computer was expensive so they bought cheap look-alikes.

3. a pill or capsule that contains nonprescription stimulants, as caffeine and ephedrine, but is made to appear like one containing illegal or prescription stimulants, as amphetamine or biphetamine.

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adjective

1. being or characteristic of a look-alike.

Etymology

Origin of look-alike

First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase look alike

Explanation

A look-alike is someone who looks almost exactly like another person. Running into your look-alike in a big city would be quite shocking. Some look-alikes are related, like identical twins or cousins who resemble each other to an uncanny degree. Other look-alikes are so similar to celebrities that they can make a living impersonating them. If you are a Michael Jackson look-alike, you could dress like the singer and perform at a talent show, lip syncing his song "Billie Jean" and attempting the moonwalk. Look-alike is an American word, coined around 1937.

Example Sentences

Wide gaps among look-alike funds are the rule, not the exception.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

The long and unexpected afterlife of the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

To test whether look-alike spiders were masking more than one species, Jochim and colleagues examined genomic DNA from Aptostichus simus collected throughout its range.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

It might be as easy as winning a Glen Powell and Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025

Mop’s dad said it was a very convincing look-alike, but the photo just wasn’t old enough and Martí had never stopped at Canal Grove.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• carbon copy
• impersonator