as in to play
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior
likes to personate the man of the world, but he's still the small-town hick that he always was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of personate
Till’s motifs swept though the ensemble, as horns, clarinets, bassoons, violin all had a chance to personate the character.
—
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
-
The Eagles and Chiefs played each other in the Super Bowl just two years ago, when both Jason, 37, and Travis, 35, competed with their respective teams in the 2023 game.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
-
The Eagles have played in one Super Bowl in the stadium, losing 27-10 to the Oakland Raiders in 1981.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities in New York City are searching for a man who allegedly impersonated a federal immigration enforcement agent before trying to rape a 51-year-old woman in broad daylight, according to police sources.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
12 Feb. 2025
-
One of those bills also would crack down on people who impersonate first responders during a wildfire.—
Anabel Sosa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
For example, a light lavender lining peeks out from underneath the tool of the Rapunzel dress, which can be paired with a long, dramatic boa to imitate her lustrous mane.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Between the lines: The BRT experience aims to imitate the experience of a subway or train.—
Andrew King,
Axios,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Most of your editorials, John Brummett, Rex Nelson, and John Deering, are blatant Trump haters, and their smug, condescending echo-chamber mindsets are constantly denigrating, mocking, and disrespecting at least 64 percent of your potential readers.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Feb. 2025
-
On a later episode of SNL, Madonna mocked O’Connor by ripping up a photo of then-tabloid fixture Joey Buttafuoco.—
Shannon Carlin,
TIME,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The many actors who have portrayed the character on screen include Alan Rickman, Ben Mendelsohn and Matthew Macfadyen.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
-
But Bill Nye, former Science Guy and current C.E.O. of the Planetary Society, has portrayed the dream of Mars colonization as a dangerous delusion.—
Dhruv Khullar,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Bove claimed that former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams had acted improperly and that Adams was needed to help the Trump administration with immigration enforcement.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2025
-
All offseason long the Red Sox have spoken about the need to act with urgency to restore the club to its place as a perennial contender, but after five years of falling short those words were beginning to ring hollow with many fans.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near personate
Cite this Entry
“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share