impersonate

IPA/ɪmˈpɜːsəneɪt/
KK[ˌɪmpˈɚsənˌet]IPA/ɪmˈpɜːrsəneɪt/

impersonate — verb

  • impersonatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • impersonateshe / she / it
  • impersonatedpast simple
  • impersonating-ing form

1. to copy how a person talks, walks, or acts, so that other people find it funny o

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to copy how a person talks, walks, or acts, so that other people find it funny or entertaining

Example

At the office party, Mei-Lin impersonated the boss by wearing his hat and mimicking his deep voice.

impersonate + boss — copying appearance and voice for humour

The comedian impersonated the prime minister during her show at the city theatre.

public figure as object in a performance context

Common collocations
  • impersonate a celebrity
  • impersonate a politician
  • impersonate a teacher
  • comedian impersonates
  • impersonate for laughs
Synonyms
  • imitate

    broader — means copying behaviour or style, not necessarily a specific person or for entertainment

  • mimic

    focuses on copying voice, gestures, or sound; can be playful or mocking

  • do an impression of

    informal phrase specific to comedy contexts; 'He does a great impression of the singer.'

Grammar Patterns

impersonate + noun phrase (a specific person)

Usage Note

Frequently takes a person's name, role, or title as the object. The impersonated person is usually recognisable to the audience — a celebrity, politician, or well-known figure.

Common Mistakes

He pretended the president at the party.
He impersonated the president at the party.
'pretend' cannot take a direct object this way; 'pretend to be + noun' is correct but describes acting, not mimicking someone's specific traits.
She imitated a police officer to get into the building.
She impersonated a police officer to get into the building.
'imitate' means copying style or behaviour in general, not assuming another person's identity to gain access.

2. to act as if you are a particular person in order to trick someone, for example

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to act as if you are a particular person in order to trick someone, for example to gain money, entry, or information

Example

A thief impersonated a police officer to get past the security guards at the bank entrance.

impersonating authority figure to bypass security

Deepa impersonated a nurse by wearing a white coat and carrying a fake hospital badge.

Common collocations
  • impersonate a police officer
  • impersonate a doctor
  • impersonate an official
  • fraudulently impersonate
  • charged with impersonating
Synonyms
  • pose as

    phrasal verb; more informal, often used in news headlines ('posing as a police officer')

  • masquerade as

    suggests a sustained or elaborate deception behind a false identity

Antonyms
  • reveal

    to show your true identity

Grammar Patterns

impersonate + noun phrase (a role or authority figure)

Usage Note

Common in crime reports, fraud warnings, and legal writing. The object is usually a position of trust or authority — police officer, doctor, lawyer, bank employee. Frequently used in passive constructions ('He was arrested for impersonating…').

Common Mistakes

She disguised a doctor to enter the hospital.
She impersonated a doctor to enter the hospital.
'disguise' means changing your appearance, not pretending to be a specific person with a job role.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Impersonate, pretend, imitate, and masquerade all involve acting like someone or something other than yourself, but they differ in scope. To impersonate someone means to copy their specific mannerisms, voice, and appearance so closely that a viewer would recognise the target — this usually implies a deliberate performance (comedy) or fraud (deception). Pretend is far broader: you can pretend to be sick, pretend to know the answer, or pretend a cardboard box is a spaceship, without trying to look or sound like a particular person. Imitate focuses on copying behaviour, style, or technique — a child might imitate a parent's tone of voice, or a young athlete might imitate a pro player's swing. Masquerade suggests hiding your true identity behind a false appearance for an extended period. For example, a comedian impersonates the president on stage, a child pretends to be a superhero at the park, an art student imitates Van Gogh's brushstrokes in a painting, and a spy masquerades as a diplomat for years.

impersonate ↗pretend ↗imitate ↗masquerade ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • charge (a charge of impersonating)
  • attempt (an attempt to impersonate)
  • accusation (accusation of impersonating)
  • talent (talent for impersonating)

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be charged with impersonating
  • be accused of impersonating
  • be arrested for impersonating
  • be convicted of impersonating

Prepositions

  • as (in passive: impersonated as)
  • by (impersonate by wearing/gaining)

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

Comes from Latin 'impersonatus' (to personate, to embody), formed from 'in-' (in, into) and 'persona' (person, character, mask worn by an actor). The word arrived in English through Italian 'impersonare' in the early 1600s. Its earliest English meaning was 'to represent in a dramatic role' — a sense that later split into the modern comedy and deception meanings.