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
-
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:
They were designed to mimic the natural features bats used for roosting, enhancing their habitats and helping bat populations to thrive on its sites.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
These new drugs – including Ozempic and Wegovy – mimic the GLP-1 hormone to stimulate insulin release, slow digestion, and increase feelings of fullness.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
A few months ago, Pinchas Cohen learned of a thriving online trade in MOTS-c — a peptide that, when injected into mice, seems to mimic the effects of exercise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Those apps employed chatbots designed to mimic human daters, sending the AI clones on “first dates”—bot-on-bot conversations—to gauge their humans’ compatibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
I had moved my arms around her and tried to mimic her squeeze.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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
As for claims that the substance mimics the amino acid profile of human skin, Rogers said the comparison is often overstated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 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
The whole table mimics my gesture to show respect for the dying.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
The computational model of a neural network mimicked the owl’s auditory map—the flow of auditory information—which helped Rumelhart derive a theory about how the owl’s system developed and worked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 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
The white spots scattered over its brown back mimicked the dappled light so that one second a fawn lay there, and the next second there was nothing but undergrowth.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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 bond between the pair is underlined by mimicking each other's celebrations.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The “great room” — the home’s centerpiece — hosts a two-story fireplace with a glowing water feature mimicking rainfall above it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Totally weird?” he said maliciously, mimicking my accent: suburban, hollow, flat.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
