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mimic

[mim-ik]
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verb (used with object), mim·icked, mim·ick·ing.
  1. to imitate or copy in action, speech, etc., often playfully or derisively.
  2. to imitate in a servile or unthinking way; ape.
  3. to be an imitation of; simulate; resemble closely.
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noun
  1. a person who mimics, especially a performer skilled in mimicking others.
  2. a copy or imitation of something.
  3. a performer in a mime.
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adjective
  1. imitating or copying something, often on a smaller scale: a mimic battle.
  2. apt at or given to imitating; imitative; simulative.
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Origin of mimic

1580–90; < Latin mīmicus < Greek mīmikós. See mime, -ic
Related formsmim·ick·er, nounun·mim·icked, adjective

Synonyms

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1. follow, mock; impersonate; simulate, counterfeit. 7. mock, simulated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

mimeaperesemblesimulatemirrorthespianimpersonatorcopycatparrotactorplayercomedianimitatorperformerparodistmummertroupercaricaturistimpressionistfake

Examples from the Web for mimic

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • One of these youths, fancying himself a mimic, had imitated the Moslems.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • But the field is nearly cleared, and the mimic war has commenced.

    Vivian Grey

    Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli

  • "You're all there," Paliser, amused by the mimic, was telling her.

    The Paliser case

    Edgar Saltus

  • Before hypocrisy or oppression his glances were as mimic lightning.

    Charles Carleton Coffin

    William Elliot Griffis, D. D.

  • The college world is a mimic world—and your lifetime is just four years.

British Dictionary definitions for mimic

mimic

verb -ics, -icking or -icked (tr)
  1. to imitate (a person, a manner, etc), esp for satirical effect; apeknown mainly for his ability to mimic other singers
  2. to take on the appearance of; resemble closelycertain flies mimic wasps
  3. to copy closely or in a servile manner
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noun
  1. a person or an animal, such as a parrot, that is clever at mimicking
  2. an animal that displays mimicry
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or using mimicry; imitative
  2. simulated, make-believe, or mock
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Derived Formsmimicker, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin mīmicus, from Greek mimikos, from mimos mime
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 mimic

n.

1580s, "a mime," from Latin mimicus, from Greek mimikos "of or pertaining to mimes," from mimos "mime."

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v.

1680s, from mimic (n.). Related: Mimicked; mimicking.

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adj.

1590s, from Latin mimicus, from Greek mimikos "of or pertaining to mimes," verbal adjective from mimeisthai "to mimic, imitate, portray by means of imitation" (see mimeograph).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mimic in Medicine

mimic

(mĭm′ĭk)
v.
  1. To resemble closely; simulate.
  2. To take on the appearance of.
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Related formsmim′ic adj. n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.