copycat 1 of 2

noun

ˈkä-pē-ˌkat How to pronounce copycat (audio)
Definition of copycatnext
as in imitator
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way every rock singer who makes it big soon has a whole cluster of copycats

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

copycat

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to copy
to make an exact likeness of asked her stylist to copycat a hairstyle from the magazine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to imitate
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior a performer who slavishly copycats another never rises to the level of true stardom

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 copycat
Noun
There's a copycat factor at work, too, as present-day stars have seen the likes of Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Mitch Marner and others already engineer exits and thrive with new teams. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 That has been the model employed by Strategy and numerous copycat DATs, which have counted on steadily rising asset prices to issue new shares that pay for their operating costs. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
But factors including insurance coverage, pricing, copycat drugs and the development of new pills will ultimately determine how far the treatments will reach. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2025 Maybe don’t copycat Netflix so much, other streamers. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for copycat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copycat
  1. imitator
  2. copy
  3. imitate
  4. follower
  5. replicate
  6. emulate
  7. echo
  8. reproduce
Noun
  • Deafheaven broke the mold by introducing blinding light to rock music’s darkest corner, but after wave upon wave of imitators, the only subversion left is to blot out the sun.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Dadaists used this gleefully and compulsively (see René Clair and Francis Picabia’s wacky Entr’Acte); so, famously, did Hideo Nakata in Y2K hit The Ring and countless imitators.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of imitator
Verb
  • Music scenes were insular; tapes were copied by hand and passed between friends and family.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Counterfeit devices can copy familiar names and appearances while using entirely different hardware.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of copy
Verb
  • Rather than simply imitating the brain with silicon chips, the approach uses actual neurons to perform computational work.
    — Mike McRae October 19, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Others could imitate but never replicate; their coolness was predicated on their originality.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitate
Noun
  • An analysis published by NYU’s Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law discusses how younger consumers embrace dupe culture and proudly share affordable alternatives with friends and followers.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The millennial creator, who shares personal finance advice with more than 2 million followers, is challenging the money rules younger generations have long heard from their parents and grandparents.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of follower
Verb
  • Anthropic’s Claude Code tool quickly became a favorite among software developers after launching in early 2025, and the company sought to replicate that success for other office jobs earlier this year with its Cowork agent.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • As the designer explains, revisiting 1930s Milan isn’t about exactly replicating a Portaluppi bathroom.
    — Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of replicate
Verb
  • The Royals have most of the tools needed to emulate the Brewers.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • On October 20, the mom of four diverged completely from her neutral, minimalist style to emulate her oldest daughter, North West, 13, ahead of Halloween.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of emulate
Noun
  • Admittedly, the album’s ’90s sound palette has echoes of millennial nostalgia bait—but then again, when has nostalgia not been part of Hemsworth’s appeal?
    — Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The speaker comes with a microphone input, echo, and key controls to take the festivities to the next level.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of echo
Verb
  • That leaves open the distinction between recreating the behavior of an Atari 800XL through modern software and reproducing the original hardware more directly.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Beginning in the 1990s, researchers tested whether adding iron to seawater could reproduce some of that effect.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of reproduce

Browse Nearby Words

copy
copycat
copycats
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Copycat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copycat. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All