mimic

[ mim-ik ]

/ ˈmɪm ɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mimic ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mim·icked, mim·ick·ing.

to imitate or copy in action, speech, etc., often playfully or derisively.

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.

apt at or given to imitating; imitative; simulative.

QUIZZES

Can You Remember Your Favorite Words Of The Day From March?

Even if you’re a habitué of Word of the Day, you haven’t seen our March words in these ways! Challenge yourself to our comprehensive quiz!

Question 1 of 15

What does "habitué" mean?

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

a frequent or habitual visitor to a place.

a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

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Origin of mimic

1580–90; < Latin mīmicus < Greek mīmikós. See mime, -ic

SYNONYMS FOR mimic

1 follow, mock; impersonate; simulate, counterfeit.

7 mock, simulated.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mimic ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM mimic

mim·ick·er, nounun·mim·icked, adjective

Words nearby mimic

mimesis, mimetic, mimetism, mimetite, mimi, mimic, mimic panel, mimical, mimicry, mimine, miminy-piminy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mimicking

We are looking the same, acting the same, and mimicking masculinity the same.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Others walked with their hands in the air, mimicking the gestures of someone showing they were unarmed.
'What You Gonna Do, Kill Us All?' Protesters Ask Ferguson Police|Justin Glawe|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the contrary, many of them were quite capable of mimicking a somber-faced pose while they said deeply horrible things.
Hillary Clinton Knows Rape Is No Laughing Matter|Amanda Marcotte|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Be very passive as the air leaves your lungs and leaves your mouth, mimicking the sounds of ocean waves ebbing and flowing.
How to Master the Art of Breathing|Ari Meisel|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is assuredly not by mimicking the Gellars and Spencers of the world, thereby effectively becoming an anti-Jihadist Jihadi.
The Opponents of Militant Islamism Are Often As Bigoted as Their Targets|Jacob Mchangama|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The usual meaning of the word to the Greek, as to the modern, seems to be little more than an aping or mimicking.
Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance|Donald Lemen Clark
"I might be glad of a companion—but not of Paul," retorted Leo, mimicking.
Leonore Stubbs|L. B. Walford
He had a remarkable talent for mimicking, very rarely exercised.
Aubrey Beardsley|Robert Ross
He carried on amazing twenty-minute dialogues with himself, mimicking the voice of girl and woman, bully and dandy.
Golden Lads|Arthur Gleason and Helen Hayes Gleason
"Oh, that's mostly what he gets called," said someone, mimicking Tom's own phrase.
Tom Slade Motorcycle Dispatch Bearer|Percy Keese Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for mimicking

mimic

/ (ˈmɪmɪk) /

verb -ics, -icking or -icked (tr)

to imitate (a person, a manner, etc), esp for satirical effect; apeknown mainly for his ability to mimic other singers

to take on the appearance of; resemble closelycertain 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

Derived forms of mimic

mimicker, noun

Word Origin for mimic

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

Medical definitions for mimicking

mimic

[ mĭm′ĭk ]

v.

To resemble closely; simulate.

To take on the appearance of.

Other words from mimic

mim′ic adj. n.

mimic

verb (used with object), mim·icked, mim·ick·ing.

noun

adjective

QUIZZES

Origin of mimic

SYNONYMS FOR mimic

OTHER WORDS FROM mimic

Words nearby mimic

Words related to mimicking

Example sentences from the Web for mimicking

British Dictionary definitions for mimicking

verb -ics, -icking or -icked (tr)

noun

adjective

Derived forms of mimic

Word Origin for mimic

Medical definitions for mimicking

v.

Other words from mimic