as in to play
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior likes to personate the man of the world, but he's still the small-town hick that he always was

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 personate Till’s motifs swept though the ensemble, as horns, clarinets, bassoons, violin all had a chance to personate the character. By Libby Hanssen, kansascity.com, 3 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personate
Verb
  • Drops were an issue, play strength due to smaller frame.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • That defense fueled one of the best offensive quarters any team has played this season.
    Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Often these scams will impersonate a retailer or shipping company to fool the victim.
    James Peckham, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has been impersonating public figures, from reality TV stars to movie stars to politicians and every profession in between.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Cubs beat the Dodgers 16-0 on Saturday, featuring an entertaining moment in which position-player-pitching Miguel Rojas imitated the deliveries of a few Dodgers pitchers.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Moreover, these models can imitate individuals' or industries' writing styles and wording.
    Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The show and its participants were even parodied on Saturday Night Live in January, with comedian Ego Nwodim playing Amuli, and other cast members mocking people’s poor conversation skills and unintelligent dating decisions.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Constance, the policy consultant, says his 29-year-old daughter had joined other liberal family members in mocking him over his participation in NatalCon.
    Meena Duerson, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Tim Burton's version of the movie saw Keaton as a dark, surly Batman, shaping the way the character would be portrayed for the next three decades.
    Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The Oscar winner portrays a former president leading an investigation in the aftermath of a deadly national cyber attack.
    Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Teaching candidates who go through a four-year degree program or a high-quality alternative certification program spend many hours in classrooms watching effective teachers working with students and acting as student teachers themselves.
    Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Christidis’ complaint says Sanchez-Medina, while acting as KLIP’s attorney, held $625,000 of the real estate deal’s $1.4 million in his trust account, but never turned it over to Morgan.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Personate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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