impersonating

verb

present participle of impersonate
1
as in mocking
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior a school intruder was caught trying to impersonate a teacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in playing
to present a portrayal or performance of interpreters at the living history museum impersonate figures who are known to have actually lived in the colonial town

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 impersonating Weeks later, one of the officers who discovered his body took possession of the property unlawfully and spent years renovating and impersonating him, according to investigators and police documents. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 Instagram eventually removed the account for impersonating a public figure. — Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 The message can create an immediate fear that someone is impersonating you online. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Phishing, one of the the most common cyber-attacks in the world, is when sensitive data is acquired by impersonating a legitimate business or a trusted person. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 Hey, the boss needs a favor In a November 2025 Reddit post, one person described buying $800 in Target gift cards on their second day at a new job after receiving an email impersonating their boss. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Then another old friend of Mary’s, the shape-shifting warlock William (Devon Sawa), is revealed to have been impersonating a teacher. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026 Colbert gifted Kimmel his Captain America shield, did a sketch-within-an-interview with his son impersonating a Kiwi police officer, and shaved for our amusement. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Waukegan police are warning of a phone scam involving people impersonating local police. — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonating
  1. mocking
  2. playing
  3. imitating
  4. portraying
  5. acting
  6. performing
  7. depicting
  8. interpreting
Verb
  • There were earlier versions of this story that were openly mocking of Kip, versions that threw Leo under the bus for being too sly; versions that were too overtly political; versions with ghosts that didn’t need to be there, and so on.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Reels captured everything from dancing and DJ parties at protest sites to songs mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of mocking
Verb
  • Antetokounmpo totaled 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, one assist and one steal while playing only 11 minutes in Saturday’s first half.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The practice involves writing down your intrusive thoughts and fears, and even recording yourself talking about them, and playing that recording back to yourself.
    — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of playing
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
  • OpenAI denied intentionally imitating Johansson’s voice and later withdrew the feature.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitating
Verb
  • The younger Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing.
    — Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, there are AI safety researchers who fear that portraying such incidents as easily remedied security failures gives political cover to those who want AI development to proceed unchecked.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of portraying
Verb
  • After Maduro was deposed, Venezuela's highest court said Rodríguez could serve as acting president for up to 90 days -- an interim appointment that could be extended by the National Assembly for an additional 90 days.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • And when Dad got to the University of Southern California and briefly tried his hand at acting in the 1930s, casting directors rechristened him Lee Byron.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of acting
Verb
  • The Nasdaq-style Star50 index, set up by Xi to help finance China’s high-tech transformation, has been one of the world’s worst- performing tech gauges this year.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Energy is the best-performing sector in the S & P 500 in 2026, surging 55% in that time, as oil prices stay elevated due to the Iran war.
    — Frank Holland, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of performing
Verb
  • Sacramento police have arrested two Sacramento men in connection with the theft of the bronze sculpture depicting Ben Ali, California’s first Kentucky Derby winner, in Old North Sacramento.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The camera lingers on the building’s triangular windows and towering bronze sculpture depicting hands passing a Torah from one generation to the next.
    — Yael Buechler, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of depicting
Verb
  • Many voters have described their experiences on social media, with some falsely interpreting the troubles as attempts at election tampering to favor Republicans.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Rafauli also drew on wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in natural forms and imperfection, interpreting it through his own sculptural style.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of interpreting

Browse Nearby Words

impersonates
impersonating
impersonation
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Cite this Entry

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

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