imitator

noun

Definition of imitatornext
1
as in follower
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way an Elvis imitator in a sequinned jumpsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in performer
a person who imitates another's voice and mannerisms for comic effect that comedian is a hilarious imitator of a surprising array of current celebrities

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 imitator One of the more direct imitators of the SpaceX model is Blue Origin. — David Szondy may 31, New Atlas, 31 May 2026 Their clothes inspired imitators. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 The frontier labs keep shipping the next capability while the imitators are still training on the last one, and the value keeps accruing to whoever is ahead rather than to whoever copied the leader's previous answers. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Most of the Steam Deck imitators on the market right now use AMD silicon, specifically the Ryzen Z-series chips. — Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026 But the arrival of Buc-ee's supercharged the trend and spawned imitators like Wally's, which has three 50,000-square-foot locations in the Midwest, with plans for more. — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 2 July 2026 My Year of Rest and Relaxation and its many imitators treat the instability and anhedonia of women as a source of self-deprecating comedy and little else. — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026 Steven Spielberg's dino masterpiece — which has spawned six sequels and countless imitators — ushered in a new wave of CGI filmmaking and became an instant sensation beyond what original author Michael Crichton could ever have envisioned. — Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 Three Things That Define the Category Understanding what distinguishes a genuine moonshot company matters more now that the category has attracted imitators — organizations that have adopted the language of transformation without the underlying architecture. — Ethan Stone, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitator
  1. follower
  2. performer
  3. echo
  4. actor
  5. impressionist
  6. impersonator
  7. entertainer
  8. mimic
Noun
  • The mom of two shares videos and photos of her fashion creations and her daughters wearing them with over 29,000 TikTok followers.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • In 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, Quakers made a formal stance against slavery, prohibiting followers of the faith from engaging in the institution.
    — Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of follower
Noun
  • The performer and brother of pop star Ariana Grande was a shoo-in for the parts, having played them as far back as 2018.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • The data can be used for special effects work or as a reference for a video game artist creating a character around a performer.
    — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 6 July 2026
Definition of performer
Noun
  • The rural storytelling and fiddle music on the frontier inspired the emergence and growth of commercial country music and bluegrass music, while echoes of acoustic blues and protest songs can be heard in modern R&B and hip-hop.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • These trades also feel like a bizarro echo of a deal by previous Canucks management almost exactly one year ago.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of echo
Noun
  • Smollett was accused of staging a hate crime — which was originally reported as a racist and homophobic crime against the Empire actor— in Chicago in February 2019.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
  • Travis Kelce's brother, Jason Kelce, and his wife, Kylie Kelce, are expected to attend, as are fellow NFL star George Kittle and actor-singer Suki Waterhouse.
    — Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of actor
Noun
  • The black and white photographs work especially well hung just a wall away from the Impressionists, many of who also work in black and white and concentrate on the slightest shadows.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2026
  • My first visit was in 1995 for a retrospective of 19th century Impressionist painter Gustave Caillebotte.
    — David Allen, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of impressionist
Noun
  • Kevin Nealon plays Happy’s overly positive AT&T Open partner Gary Potter, who comes off as more of an eccentric self-help guru impersonator than a pro golfer.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Congo fans helped pack out The Stadium Usually Known as Mercedes-Benz on Saturday (even without their beloved Patrice Lumumba impersonator).
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of impersonator
Noun
  • Instead, Hargitay learned at age 30 that her bio-dad was Italian entertainer Nelson Sardelli — Giovanna Sardelli’s father — with whom Mansfield had a brief relationship while separated from Mickey Hargitay in the early 1960s.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • There’s a difference between being an entertainer and an artist.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of entertainer
Noun
  • In design reviews, require product owners to specify which consumer or internal patterns the new workflow mimics; adjust UI labels and steps to match those mental models.
    — Guy Yehiav, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • This suggests the sounds green noise mimics may genuinely help the body shift toward relaxation.
    — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of mimic

Browse Nearby Words

imitative
imitator
imitators
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on imitator

Nglish: Translation of imitator for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All