impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt 
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume or act the character of : personate
impersonating a police officer
Examples of impersonate in a Sentence
He was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
a comedian with a talent for impersonating famous politicians and actors
Recent Examples on the Web
In that case, attackers impersonated legitimate apps and walked users through terminal commands that installed the same AMOS infostealer.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
He was robbed by a man impersonating a police officer and testified as a key witness at the trial, according to a media reports.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The lobster heist fits in the first type, which involves someone impersonating a legitimate trucking company.
—Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Dewey finds his way into a private school by impersonating his friend Ned Schneebly (Mike White) and soon bonds with the focused children over rock music.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
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.
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
He was robbed by a man impersonating a police officer and testified as a key witness at the trial, according to a media reports.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The lobster heist fits in the first type, which involves someone impersonating a legitimate trucking company.
—Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Dewey finds his way into a private school by impersonating his friend Ned Schneebly (Mike White) and soon bonds with the focused children over rock music.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impersonate
Cite this Entry
“Impersonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impersonate. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impersonate
verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt
impersonated; impersonating
: to pretend to be some other person
impersonate a police officer
impersonation
noun
-ˌpərs-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
impersonator
noun
-ˈpərs-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər
Legal Definition
impersonate
transitive verb
im·per·son·ate
im-ˈpər-sə-ˌnāt
impersonated; impersonating
: to assume (another's or a fictitious identity) without authority and with fraudulent intent
impersonate a police officer
impersonated a public servant by saying he was from the water department
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share