simulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
simulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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simulated,
past participle, past
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simulating
present participle
-
to create a simulation, likeness, or model of (a situation, system, or the like).
to simulate crisis conditions.
-
to make a pretense of; feign.
to simulate knowledge.
- Synonyms:
- counterfeit, pretend
-
to assume or have the appearance or characteristics of.
He simulated the manners of the rich.
- Synonyms:
- affect
adjective
verb
-
to make a pretence of; feign
to simulate anxiety
-
to reproduce the conditions of (a situation, etc), as in carrying out an experiment
to simulate weightlessness
-
to assume or have the appearance of; imitate
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsimulateadjective
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nonsimulativeadjective
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simulativeadjective
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simulatoryadjective
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unsimulatedadjective
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unsimulatingadjective
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unsimulativeadjective
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well-simulatedadjective
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simulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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simulatesimple
-
simulatessimple
-
have simulatedperfect
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has simulatedperfect
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am simulatingprogressive
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are simulatingprogressive
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is simulatingprogressive
-
have been simulatingperfect progressive
-
has been simulatingperfect progressive
Past
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simulatedsimple
-
had simulatedperfect
-
was simulatingprogressive
-
were simulatingprogressive
-
had been simulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of simulate
1400–50; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin simulātus (past participle of simulāre ), equivalent to simul- (variant of simil-, base of similis similar ) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you simulate something, you imitate it. Hollywood makeup artists can use pencils and gray wigs to simulate old age in a young actor. It can also mean to model — a computer can simulate disaster scenarios in cities. If you really admire someone's calm-under-pressure attitude, you may try to simulate their demeanor. When opening a present, it's polite to simulate surprise and excitement about the gift item, even if you already have it or it is ugly as dirt. Don't try to simulate your parents' signatures on excuse cards, though — signatures are unique to individuals and impossible to simulate perfectly.
Vocabulary lists containing simulate
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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:
Large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude are trained entirely on text and produce text as their output, yet they can convincingly simulate certain forms of human reasoning.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
In September, the Army plans to simulate electronic jamming and other battlefield conditions in Ukraine at Camp Grayling in Michigan, giving drone and counterdrone companies a chance to prove their equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Most AI chatbots can simulate salary negotiations with voice conversations, too, which can help you can get more comfortable making your case out loud.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
China is the first major jurisdiction to introduce specific rules targeting immersive AI tools that simulate romantic or familial bonds.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
To simulate gravity, feign grief and pretend supernatural intelligence of the hereafter in so fearsome and arcane a circumstance as death seemed the most criminal of offenses.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
It also simulates the behavior of floating ice shelves, including those in the Ross and Weddell Seas.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
And the groove, this time led by a simple, prancing line by Mr. Maynard, simulates the rhythmic movement of tidying up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
A companion chatbot is a computer program that simulates humanlike conversations to provide users with entertainment or emotional support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2025
In a lab at the University of East Anglia in Norwich we watch as he simulates what a toilet flush does to a wipe.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
And it can be intrusive in classic style, which simulates a conversation.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
On Wednesday night, Lai was put through his paces when he was escorted in an armoured vehicle convoy from the Presidential Office to a secure command centre in a simulated evacuation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Over the 10 years ended March 31, this simulated endowment portfolio would have returned 8.6% annually, pretax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The team simulated how methane, the primary organic compound produced during combustion of Argonaut's propellants, would spread following a landing near the moon's South Pole.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Blake Snell — who also had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow, undergoing a NanoNeedle Scope procedure on May 19 — threw two simulated innings to batters Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
We wandered over to the first area—Space Is Dangerous—and watched a video of a hole being blown through a thick metal plate by a simulated meteoroid.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
South Korean and US forces will hold major joint drills next week simulating combat against North Korean troops battle-hardened by deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war, an exercise spokesman said Monday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In recent years it has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, including simulating blockades on the island.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Cadence’s EDA systems include software and hardware for designing, simulating and verifying chips and printed circuit boards before production.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
These methods attempt to reproduce the movement of atoms by simulating enormous numbers of interactions over extended periods.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
The head zoo keeper ordered a crane operator, who was standing by, to drop a navy blue canopy over the dome, thus simulating Earthling night inside.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
