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| im·i·tate [ ímmi tàyt ] (past and past participle im·i·tat·ed, present participle im·i·tat·ing, 3rd person present singular im·i·tates) |
transitive verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. mimic somebody: to adopt somebody else's behavior, voice, or manner, sometimes in order to make fun of him or her
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2. follow example of somebody or something: to use somebody or something as a model, attempting to copy an existing method, style, or approach
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3. be or look like something: to be or look like something else
 a case of life imitating art
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4. arts copy style of artistic work: to reproduce the style of a work of art such as a piece of literature, a painting, or a musical composition
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| [Mid-16th century. < Latin imitat-, past participle of imitari] |
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| im·i·ta·ble adjective |
| im·i·ta·tor noun |
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| Word Key: Synonyms |
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imitate, copy, emulate, mimic, ape
CORE MEANING: to adopt the behavior of another person
imitate to adopt somebody else's behavior, voice, or manner, often in order to make fun of him or her;
'What shall I do, Fiona?' Fiona sneered, imitating Fergus's voice.
Children learn many skills by imitating their parents.
copy to do exactly what somebody else does;
Lennie admired George and tried to copy him.
A puppy will often watch and copy an older dog's actions.
emulate to try to equal or surpass somebody who is successful or admired;
She has a tough act to follow in attempting to emulate the success of her predecessor.
He's a truly great president, and one that I would certainly try to emulate.
mimic to adopt somebody else's voice, gestures, or appearance, in a deliberate and exaggerated way, especially to amuse people;
mimicking the professor's Southern accent
She whined, mimicking a spoiled child.
ape to act like somebody else in an absurd or grotesque way;
At home, the lifestyle of the nobles aped that of the royal household. |
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