copycatting

Definition of copycattingnext
present participle of copycat
1
2
as in imitating
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior a performer who slavishly copycats another never rises to the level of true stardom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for copycatting
Verb
  • These moments show students evaluating AI output critically and treating it almost as a sparring partner, rather than simply copying it.
    Jeanne Beatrix Law, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The lawsuits accused Suno and Udio of unlawfully copying the three companies’ sound recordings as training models for their AI models.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.
    Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly but were using the human’s choice as a cue to guide their own foraging decisions.
    Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Despite religious and phenotypic differences, people around the western Mediterranean Sea have been interacting, trading, warring, migrating, and reproducing together for centuries.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Vexingly, the war with Iran is reproducing in macrocosm what those wars taught in microcosm.
    Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Another friendly, to take place before facing Mexico, is also in the pipeline ahead of Popovic inking his final 26-man squad; one that will carry Australian hopes of emulating their round of 16 appearances in Germany at the 2006 edition and then Qatar 2022 — and the dream of even more.
    Michael Bailey, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • At least for now, Bath’s example illustrates the possibilities in terms of both promise and avenues for development—by emulating nature (selecting hardy strains of Bacillus) and pharmaceutical engineering (capsule technology), civil engineers are rethinking concrete from the inside out.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • By replicating this motion, the researchers aim to build robots that can move precisely inside the human body.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
  • But Pop Mart's chances of replicating that success with newer characters such as Skullpanda and Twinkle Twinkle have come under investor scrutiny with the momentum that drove a massive rally in the stock over the past two years beginning to fade.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The re-enactments, which include bomb-making and transportation, as well as the three-pronged plan to escape, have a flavor that calls to mind ’70s heist and spy films, accompanied by Michael James Lee’s jaunty, genre-aping score.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Trying To Avoid The Generic However, having minimal buttons is hardly an original design strategy when so many EVs have followed this route (aping Tesla).
    James Morris, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Carlton Fisk didn’t retire with the Red Sox, who infamously quote-unquote accidentally mailed his contract a day late, rendering him a free agent.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Officers immediately began rendering aid until the man was taken to a hospital.
    Bryant Reed, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Copycatting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copycatting. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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