Dictionary.com

personate

1
[ pur-suh-neyt ]
/ ˈpɜr səˌneɪt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: personate / personation on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), per·son·at·ed, per·son·at·ing.
to act or portray (a character in a play, a part, etc.).
to assume the character or appearance of; pass oneself off as, especially with fraudulent intent; impersonate.
to represent in terms of personal properties or characteristics; personify.
verb (used without object), per·son·at·ed, per·son·at·ing.
to act or play a part.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
true
false
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of personate

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; verb use of Latin persōnātus “wearing a mask, masked”; see origin at person

OTHER WORDS FROM personate

per·son·a·tion [pur-suh-ney-shuhn], /ˌpɜr səˈneɪ ʃən/, nounper·son·a·tive, adjectiveper·son·a·tor, noun

Other definitions for personate (2 of 2)

personate2
[ pur-suh-nit, -neyt ]
/ ˈpɜr sə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /
adjective
Botany.
  1. (of a bilabiate corolla) masklike.
  2. having the lower lip pushed upward so as to close the gap between the lips, as in the snapdragon.
Zoology.
  1. having a masked or disguised form, as the larvae of certain insects.
  2. having masklike markings.

Origin of personate

2
First recorded in 1750–60; from New Latin, Latin; persōnātus “masked”; see origin at persona, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM personate

per·son·ate·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to personate

enact, perform, play, portray, appear, bear, carry, conduct, give, go on, manage, operate, present, produce, quit, achieve, execute, ape, assume, duplicate

How to use personate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for personate (1 of 2)

personate1
/ (ˈpɜːsəˌneɪt) /
verb (tr)
to act the part of (a character in a play); portray
a less common word for personify
criminal law to assume the identity of (another person) with intent to deceive

Derived forms of personate

personation, nounpersonative, adjectivepersonator, noun

British Dictionary definitions for personate (2 of 2)

personate2
/ (ˈpɜːsənɪt, -ˌneɪt) /
adjective
(of the corollas of certain flowers) having two lips in the form of a face

Word Origin for personate

C18: from New Latin persōnātus masked, from Latin persōna; see person
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
FEEDBACK