WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•i•tate /ˈɪmɪˌteɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -tat•ed, -tat•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to follow as a model or example:to imitate an author's style.
- to copy the way someone speaks, acts, etc.;
to mimic:My daughters imitated my scolding voice.
im•i•tate
(im′i tāt′),USA pronunciation v.t., -tat•ed, -tat•ing.
im′i•ta′tor, n.
- to follow or endeavor to follow as a model or example:to imitate an author's style; to imitate an older brother.
- to mimic;
impersonate:The students imitated the teacher behind her back. - to make a copy of;
reproduce closely. - to have or assume the appearance of;
simulate;
resemble.
- Latin imitātus past participle of imitārī to copy, presumably a frequentative akin to the base of imāgō image
- 1525–35
- 2. ape, mock. 3. Imitate, copy, duplicate, reproduce all mean to follow or try to follow an example or pattern. Imitate is the general word for the idea:to imitate someone's handwriting, behavior.To copy is to make a fairly exact imitation of an original creation:to copy a sentence, a dress, a picture.To duplicate is to produce something that exactly resembles or corresponds to something else; both may be originals:to duplicate the terms of two contracts.To reproduce is to make a likeness or reconstruction of an original:to reproduce a 16th-century theater.
'imitator' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):