mimic
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to imitate or copy in action, speech, etc., often playfully or derisively.
- Synonyms:
- counterfeit, simulate, impersonate, mock, follow
-
to imitate in a servile or unthinking way; ape.
-
to be an imitation of; simulate; resemble closely.
noun
-
a person who mimics, especially a performer skilled in mimicking others.
-
a copy or imitation of something.
-
a performer in a mime.
adjective
-
imitating or copying something, often on a smaller scale.
a mimic battle.
- Synonyms:
- mock
-
apt at or given to imitating; imitative; simulative.
verb
-
to imitate (a person, a manner, etc), esp for satirical effect; ape
known mainly for his ability to mimic other singers
-
to take on the appearance of; resemble closely
certain flies mimic wasps
-
to copy closely or in a servile manner
noun
-
a person or an animal, such as a parrot, that is clever at mimicking
-
an animal that displays mimicry
adjective
-
of, relating to, or using mimicry; imitative
-
simulated, make-believe, or mock
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mimicsimple
-
mimicssimple
-
have mimickedperfect
-
has mimickedperfect
-
am mimickingprogressive
-
are mimickingprogressive
-
is mimickingprogressive
-
have been mimickingperfect progressive
-
has been mimickingperfect progressive
Past
-
mimickedsimple
-
had mimickedperfect
-
was mimickingprogressive
-
were mimickingprogressive
-
had been mimickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mimic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin mīmicus, from Greek mīmikós; equivalent to mime + -ic
Explanation
A mimic is someone who is good at imitating others. A gifted mimic might be able to imitate one president after another just by minimally changing facial expression and manner of speaking. Mimic, related to mime ("an entertainer who performs using gestures not speech"), can be traced back to the Greek mimeisthai, "to imitate." Usually when you mimic someone, you imitate them in order to make fun of them. Performers mimic famous people to get laughs, but ordinary people mimic others when they are angry at them. Who hasn't mimicked parents or a boss who has said no one too many times?!
Vocabulary lists containing mimic
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic are also peptides: they mimic a naturally occurring molecule that regulates appetite, blood sugar and digestion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
They designed an experiment to mimic natural feeding in the wild - using peanuts.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
To create the sequence, Nolan’s team built a sort of silo on the beach, rigging it with minuscule LED lights to mimic sunlight leaking through chinks in the horse’s hull.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Designed to mimic the feel of stunt cars, its four-seated vehicles will twist and turn through banks in the track in an effort to create a drifting sensation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
COLIC: colicky frolic: frolicked, frolicker, frolicking GARLIC: garlicky mimic: mimicked, mimicking panic: panicked, panicking, panicky picnic: picnicked, picnicker, picnicking POLITICS: politicker, politicking traffic: trafficked, trafficker, trafficking playwright.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Some use a wrapper—a structure that mimics a stock’s performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
They used a mouse model that mimics ACL tears, a common sports injury seen in activities such as soccer, basketball, and skiing that involve sudden stopping, pivoting, or jumping.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
But if you’re craving something more — perhaps something that mimics the flavors of fancy restaurants with unique embellishments — here are a few simple ways to zhuzh up even the simplest of frozen pizzas.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Roche’s anti-amyloid antibody trontinemab has a fragment that mimics the natural iron-shuttling molecule known as transferrin.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
This is the first time I get to dance Tinikling, a folk dance that mimics a tikling bird hopping between stems of grass and running over tree branches.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
Just a few months later, Ronaldo mimicked the celebration when he scored in the Spanish Super Cup at Barcelona.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
What I remember most clearly about “The Final Chamber” tour’s Seattle stop was the way the performance’s construction mimicked a back-in-the-day movie marathon.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
These were then turned into nerve cells that mimicked the same metabolic defects seen in Leigh syndrome.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026
Thomas Jefferson, who owned a mule named “Dr. Slop,” mimicked Sterne’s style in friendly correspondence, and was among the many readers who liked to deploy the descriptor “Shandean.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
“We're on a road trip. It's about adventure,” Colin mimicked.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
So when he heard on social media that Germans were congregating in Times Square, Altmeks readily pulled on a jersey of his hero Rudi Voller -- plus a wig mimicking the famed striker's blond curls.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Since GLP-1 drugs work by mimicking the feeling of fullness, older patients can be at risk for malnutrition at a much more sensitive time of life.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Some Chinese stocks are already mimicking the U.S. exuberance for AI, bringing their valuations far beyond bargain territory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Endometriosis symptoms can be severe and wide-ranging - from very heavy periods to extreme tiredness and abdominal pain - often mimicking other conditions.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
“Pure math, cadet,” adds Werner, mimicking Hauptmann’s clipped accent.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
