simulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
- nonsimulate adjective
- nonsimulative adjective
- simulative adjective
- simulatively adverb
- simulatory adjective
- unsimulated adjective
- unsimulating adjective
- unsimulative adjective
- well-simulated adjective
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
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.
Now they are able to do more damage using artificial intelligence to simulate fake grassroots opposition to clean air measures, and they are surreptitiously using the identities of real people to deceive regulators.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
These accounts often simulate holdings of a stock index, and managers aim to improve after-tax returns by actively trimming losses and gains to reduce taxable gains.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
For example, its technology might be able to simulate how air flows around an airplane wing, or predict exactly where a metal part will crack under pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Project Prometheus is building AI systems that are able to simulate how the physical world behaves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Journey tells me that she goes up and down terrain that has been made to simulate Mars.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
