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
Derived Forms
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nonsimulateadjective
-
nonsimulativeadjective
-
simulativeadjective
-
simulatoryadjective
-
unsimulatedadjective
-
unsimulatingadjective
-
unsimulativeadjective
-
well-simulatedadjective
-
simulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
simulatesimple
-
simulatessimple
-
have simulatedperfect
-
has simulatedperfect
-
am simulatingprogressive
-
are simulatingprogressive
-
is simulatingprogressive
-
have been simulatingperfect progressive
-
has been simulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
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
These systems are significantly more difficult to simulate, but they are also directly relevant to understanding real quantum materials.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
He pointed out that data-driven forecasting models -- known as foundation models -- were already beating the traditional models, which use mathematical equations to simulate the complex processes taking place in the oceans and atmosphere.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Dashboard designers need to test new controls by using them blindfolded to simulate minimum distractibility for drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
It was used to simulate the acceleration our bodies would feel during launch and reentry.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Writing in the journal Nature, the team showed that wave amplification can be achieved using a device that simulates extreme rotation without physically spinning.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
A companion chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversations to provide users with entertainment or emotional support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
A piped-in soundtrack simulates urban din, and latticed wood alcoves emulate storefronts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
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
The same pattern appeared in laboratory performance testing and in simulated stormwater collected from the experimental road sections.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
In reality, Polymarket built near-perfect copies of its website, then instructed creators to make simulated trades on those dummy sites and hide that they were being paid by Polymarket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
And it does so in a way that can already be simulated and tested in the lab.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026
A simulated game is also in the works for the 33-year-old outfielder before a rehab game early next week, Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
To test this question, many years ago my colleagues and I prepared chambers that simulated the Martian environment as it was then known, inoculated them with terrestrial microorganisms and waited to see if anybody survived.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
This facility is one of the largest thermal vacuum chambers in the world, capable of simulating the near vacuum of space along with extreme temperature swings.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 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
“Equipped with a prosthesis simulating a glass eye over his pupil,” we are told, Mr. Day-Lewis “practiced hitting it with the tip of his knife without batting an eyelid.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
"Schools that are effectively following best practice will be simulating incidents that require a lockdown situation and how that goes."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
Ty understood that he didn't know the kind of war he was simulating in the game.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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.
