duplicate 1 of 3

Definition of duplicatenext

duplicate

2 of 3

noun

duplicate

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to copy
to make an exact likeness of art students trying to duplicate paintings in the museum's collection as part of their training

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to replicate
to make or do again we were unable to duplicate the experiment in our own lab, so we're suspicious

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to double
to make twice as great or as many the recipe can be easily duplicated in order to feed a large family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun duplicate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of duplicate are copy, facsimile, replica, and reproduction. While all these words mean "a thing made to closely resemble another," duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing.

a duplicate of a house key

When is it sensible to use copy instead of duplicate?

The meanings of copy and duplicate largely overlap; however, copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically.

printed 1000 copies of the lithograph

When can facsimile be used instead of duplicate?

Although the words facsimile and duplicate have much in common, facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale.

a facsimile of a rare book

Where would replica be a reasonable alternative to duplicate?

While the synonyms replica and duplicate are close in meaning, replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details, but not always in the same scale.

a replica of the Mayflower
miniature replicas of classic cars

When might reproduction be a better fit than duplicate?

While in some cases nearly identical to duplicate, reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.

reproductions from the museum's furniture collection

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 duplicate
Adjective
Contacts Cleaner finds duplicate and incomplete entries in your contacts list. Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 24 June 2026 Just One is a cooperative word game where duplicate hints get eliminated. Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026
Noun
Datasets with issues like poor formatting, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, biases and duplicates are inherently bad. Imran Aftab, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Every pack of stickers is random, so collectors end up with duplicates. Erin Jones, CBS News, 23 June 2026
Verb
Those figures likely included people who have been incommunicado due to the lack of cellphone signals, and some reports may be duplicated. Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026 Those figures likely included people who have been incommunicado due to the lack of cellphone signals, and some reports may be duplicated. Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for duplicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duplicate
Adjective
  • Their hairdos are almost identical as well, even if Dany’s is more elaborate.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • But on Wednesday, the day after Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 to secure its fourth consecutive World Cup victory, the fan and his wife, Angélica Arias, walked to the plaza wearing two identical caps.
    Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • The flag was also draped over Khamenei’s casket in images published last week by his official X account.
    Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Rodríguez Castro, the person said, projects a similar tough-guy image.
    Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Noun
  • The early copy remained tucked away in Britain’s National Archives until a volunteer cataloging records from the American Revolutionary War came across it in May among the papers of Royal Navy captains.
    Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • Julia Giarmoleo, an EPA spokesperson, said the monitors did not detect elevated metals, but would not provide a copy of the data without a federal records request.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Unlike conventional gaming headsets that primarily separate audio into left and right channels, Spherephones reproduces sound from above, below, behind, and in front of the user.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026
  • As for one of the franchise's other biggest mysteries — how the characters reproduce — Coffin has a simple answer.
    Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Yet many could still replicate portions of its economic evolution by broadening participation, encouraging private enterprise, welcoming additional foreign investors, and leveraging competition among outside powers to secure more favorable outcomes.
    Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • After some more tweaking and optimizing, the cell started growing and replicating its DNA.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Crawford also doubled to lead off the sixth, but Chandler worked his way out of that jam, striking out both Turner and Kyle Schwarber, then retiring Harper on a soft grounder to second.
    CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • For many state workers, the return-to-office order means doubling their weekly commute after nearly six years of hybrid work.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • The arrests come a few weeks after 12 men were taken into custody in a similar sting operation in Miami-Dade.
    Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • The Boyle Heights blaze, similar to the Eaton and Palisades fires, has revealed the region’s air monitoring can’t always tell people what they’ve been exposed to in a disaster.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • The company doesn’t break out sales of individual products, but as of Thursday, Nike’s website had sold out of most adult sizes in both of the USMNT’s home and away jerseys, including both authentic and replica editions.
    Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026
  • Another replica flag steeped in American history was aboard the International Space Station from November 2014 through June 2015.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Duplicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duplicate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on duplicate

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster