mimic
Americanverb (used with object)
-
mimics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mimicked,
past participle, past
-
mimicking
present participle
-
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
-
mimics
plural
-
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
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mimicssimple
-
have mimickedperfect
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has mimickedperfect
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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:
The company now runs a 125,000-square-foot, three-soundstage facility with roughly 220 employees producing rotating sets — restaurants, school hallways, a courtroom, jail visitation rooms — designed to mimic a small town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
These trends mimic global ones: consistent growth overall, with a surge postpandemic.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
There are lots of software applications that mimic the movements of a computer mouse, so you can appear to be working while away from your desk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
They also produced artificial foods designed to mimic either the amino acid composition of different pollens or the composition of honeybee tissues.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The attempt looked so strange that Scipio started to mimic him behind his back.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Zuckerberg's recent essay doesn't name names - but the Meta boss mimics Andreessen by questioning those who have warned about the negatives of future tech.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Novo’s success was fueled by one thing: semaglutide, a medication that mimics the naturally occurring hormone in the gut that signals to the brain it’s not hungry, while regulating digestion and blood sugar.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
A fasting-mimicking diet, meanwhile, mimics a fast but instead of eliminating food entirely, you eat a low-calorie, low-protein, low-sugar but high-fat plant-based diet for a five-day period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
I give my mom the please-just-stop eyes while Shay mimics the word “sweetheart” in a baby voice.
From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Other New York firms mimicked its system of recruiting top Ivy League law school graduates and training them for lifelong careers at the firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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
A striking gray-striped coat featured geometric shadows that mimicked light filtering through Venetian blinds, appearing as if it had practically materialized from a black and white film.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Writing tool Grammarly has disabled an AI feature which mimicked personas of prominent writers, including Stephen King and scientist Carl Sagan, following a backlash from people impersonated.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
“Inti, Inti, Inti,” Sumac mimicked in his bird voice.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
We studied the choreography, mimicking his strut to the ballroom stage, the hip swivels, the disco arm roll as he sings about getting Brad and Janet a satanic mechanic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Tech CEOs, mimicking the villains of sci-fi, are telling the public that resistance is futile.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
GLP-1 drugs work by mimicking the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The section looks like it’s mimicking a boutique, with a pile of fashion books on a table and handwritten price tags on the clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
He let his eyes drift toward the Tower—its black, devilishly complicated stonework mimicking the whorls of galaxies and the trajectories of stars; its small, round windows winking outward like eyes.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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.
