WordGarden.ioimitate
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈɪmɪtˌeɪt/
US
- /ˈɪməˌteɪt/
Meanings
Verb
to copy someone's actions, behavior, style, or example
to mimic someone's voice, accent, or mannerisms
Beyond the definition
To imitate someone or something means to copy how they act, speak, move, look, or do something. Think of a child copying a parent, trying out the same words or gestures to learn. An artist may imitate the style of a famous painter to practice. A comedian may imitate a public figure's voice or manner for laughs. Sometimes this kind of copying shows admiration, and sometimes it sounds like criticism, especially when someone is not being original.
To imitate is to watch, hear, or study someone or something and then try to do the same thing in a similar way. You can imitate a person's voice, accent, walk, facial expression, or style. You can also imitate a method, a pattern, or a sound. Children do this naturally as they learn to speak and behave. Actors and comedians do it on purpose when they perform. Artists, writers, and musicians may imitate earlier work while they are still learning their craft.
But the idea is not always positive. Sometimes it suggests respect or admiration, as when someone copies a person they look up to. Sometimes it suggests a lack of originality, as when a critic says a new band is just imitating an older one. It can also be playful or mocking. If you imitate someone's voice to make your friends laugh, you are copying it for effect, not because you want to become that person.
The word is common in everyday English. People imitate teachers, parents, celebrities, and friends. Birds can imitate sounds. Products can imitate the look of more expensive ones. In formal writing, it can also describe something that is made to resemble something else, such as material that imitates leather or stone.
The word comes from the Latin imitari, meaning "to copy or follow." In short, it usually describes copying a person, sound, style, or action, either to learn, to perform, to joke, or simply to make one thing seem like another.
Examples
- 1
Child learning
Young children often imitate the adults around them.
- 2
Voice impression
He can imitate his teacher's voice so well that everyone laughs.
- 3
Family behavior
She started imitating the way her older sister walks.
- 4
Musical style
The singer was accused of imitating another artist's style.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Product design
Many small brands try to imitate the look of luxury products.
- Patternimitate the look of + thing
make something appear similar to it
- 6
Natural camouflage
This plant has markings that imitate a dead leaf.
- 7
Dairy alternative
The sauce is designed to imitate the taste of cream without using dairy.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- imitateverb
Forms
- imitating-ing formverb
- imitatedpast tenseverb
- imitatesverb