impersonate

verb

im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce impersonate (audio)
impersonated; impersonating

transitive verb

: to assume or act the character of : personate
impersonation noun
impersonator noun

Examples of impersonate in a Sentence

He was arrested for impersonating a police officer. a comedian with a talent for impersonating famous politicians and actors
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While her appearance was brief, Trump himself has hosted the show twice, first in 2004 and again in 2015, as well as years of being impersonated by everyone from Phil Hartman to Alec Baldwin. Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024 From May 2020 through February 2024, Ogg's office estimates that Newton took over 430 certification tests fraudulently impersonating teaching candidates. Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024 Upon the discovery of the domains, Amazon immediately initiated the process of seizing those being abused by the Midnight Blizzard threat actors, impersonating AWS in order to interrupt the operation. Davey Winder, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 And many times, the bad guys are impersonating your bank, threatening to disconnect your electricity or gas, tempting you with tax relief, or impersonating the Internal Revenue Service or Social Security Administration. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impersonate 

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of impersonate was in 1715

Dictionary Entries Near impersonate

Cite this Entry

“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

impersonate

verb
im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce impersonate (audio)
impersonated; impersonating
: to pretend to be some other person
impersonate a police officer
impersonation
-ˌpərs-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
noun
impersonator
-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər
noun

Legal Definition

impersonate

transitive verb
im·​per·​son·​ate im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce impersonate (audio)
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume (another's or a fictitious identity) without authority and with fraudulent intent
impersonate a police officer
impersonated a public servant by saying he was from the water department
impersonator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on impersonate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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