ENGLISH
REFERENCE

impersonate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɪmˈpɝsəˌneɪt// UK //ɪmpˈɜːsənˌeɪt// im·per·son·ate Archaic

v. to pretend to be someone else, like a famous person or a character. You do this to make people think you are that person for a short time.

v. to represent or portray a person or character; to mimic the appearance, voice, or mannerisms of another. Often used in the context of performance or digital security breaches.


SIMPLE

He can impersonate his favorite actor very well.

CONTEXTUAL

The comedian spent years practicing how to impersonate the president's voice for the show.

COMPLEX

In the digital realm, sophisticated malware can impersonate legitimate software to trick users into surrendering their login credentials without realizing the deception.

Synonyms
Origin

From im- + person (verb-forming suffix) + -ate.

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