impersonate

[im-pur-suh-neyt, im-pur-suh-nit] / ɪmˈpɜr səˌneɪt, ɪmˈpɜr sə nɪt /

VERB

pretend to be another

Synonyms

STRONGEST

act like imitate masquerade as mimic portray pose as

STRONG

act ape ditto do enact fake mirror perform personate play playact represent

WEAK

act a part act out assume character do an impression of double as dress as make like pass oneself off as play a role put on an act take the part of

Antonyms

STRONG

direct fail halt idle prevent stop

WEAK

be original differ oppose reverse

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.

This means hackers gain access to data shared on Signal and can also impersonate the person whose account was compromised.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

This season, Fey dropped by to impersonate freshly ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

It tells the story of Mitchell's puzzle-writing misfit John Taylor, who agrees to impersonate his missing twin James in order to help his wife Lucy solve the mystery of his disappearance.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025

Attackers then move through networks or escalate privileges to impersonate higher-level officials authorized to bid on loads or reroute shipments, McClain said, “all while appearing to be part of normal operations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

The plot was conceived by Middleton: after Lewis was killed, the plan was to use a female associate to impersonate her so that the friends could collect the headright payments.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Vocabulary lists containing impersonate

The Secret Life of Bees

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 5–February 11, 2022

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