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 Getty Images Fraudsters are mailing physical letters to crypto holders, impersonating the IRS and directing recipients to a fake government website. — Shehan Chandrasekera, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Less than a decade ago, Jordan Firstman went megaviral for impersonating banana bread’s publicist. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026 Goods’ son also got a call the family believes was from someone impersonating his missing mother. — Madison Lambert, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026 The Monroe Public Safety Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office are warning residents about scam phone calls impersonating police. — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 The Good Will Hunting star portrayed Merritt Rook, an audio engineer impersonating a police officer on phone calls. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 Someone impersonating Melendez initially called 311, a non-emergency number, on April 10 and said his father shot his sister, giving the address for Melendez. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 While chatting about her famous dad, Sunny recalled impersonating him as a kid alongside her older sister Sadie. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026 Additionally, the suit claims that in 2024, hackers created a Gmail account and domain name impersonating a photographer to get a digital technician to send unreleased photos that belonged to Grande. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 28 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impersonating
  1. mocking
  2. playing
  3. imitating
  4. portraying
  5. acting
  6. performing
  7. depicting
  8. interpreting
Verb
  • These included Mao Zedong of China and Kim Il Sung of North Korea, as well as one mocking Ho Chi Minh, the father of Vietnam’s communist revolution.
    — Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of mocking
Verb
  • The service got its name from the original Mechanical Turk, an 18th century chess-playing robot that was actually controlled by a human chess master.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • If your dog has any dental issues, playing any type of pulling game is not advisable.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • In the limited series, the cast attends a fan convention where they get caught up in a dangerous life-imitating-art situation — a premise drawing comparisons to the beloved sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Krasner warned potential copycats who were thinking of imitating Hughes' behavior.
    — Kelsie Cairns , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of imitating
Verb
  • Through its own websites, the mysterious group has been portraying itself as vigilantes out to rein in greedy video game developers.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Russia has rejected all accusations of espionage, portraying them as part of anti-Russian hysteria.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of portraying
Verb
  • On May 15, the EKL learned that scammers, acting through their chief accountant, defrauded their Swedbank and SEB bank accounts of nearly $800,000 in government subsidies via an elaborate scheme disguised as salary payments.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of law enforcement, policing shifts to violent secure against mathematical possibility by acting against living humans now.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of acting
Verb
  • Music is also a big component, with 10 bands on two stages performing each day.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The Postal Service expects its employees to conduct themselves professionally and appropriately while performing their duties, according to the statement.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of performing
Verb
  • Iran refers to Trump’s ‘delusion’ about the strait Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump’s post on social media depicting the strait as American territory.
    — Samy Magdy, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Jahnke’s work features four panels depicting realistic images of local wildlife, including geese, raccoons, a fox and an owl.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of depicting
Verb
  • Trouble with the way samples are handled or the presence of other medical conditions such as kidney problems or viral illnesses can also lead to confusion with interpreting the results.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Interiors are a fresh take on classic British West Indies elegance, nodding to the overall aesthetic of Little Palm’s past but re-interpreting it as tropical chic of the present.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 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 Aug. 2026.

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