copying

present participle of copy
1
as in reproducing
to make an exact likeness of for the movie, set designers copied the Oval Office in the White House down to the smallest detail

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2
as in imitating
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior she shamelessly copies her idol's hairstyle and fashion choices

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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 copying However, improving that experience isn’t as simple as adding new features, updating a design or copying what competitors are doing. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 Alejo switches back to speakerphone and stays silent, copying the numbers Elizabeth is asking for from Flores’ enrollment paperwork in big block letters so Flores can read them aloud. Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026 Start copying Lopez below for as little as $20. Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026 Modeling Active Acts of Kindness for Young Children For better or worse, preschoolers learn primarily by watching and copying everything their caregivers do. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 3 June 2026 The tests covered basic pen control, copying sentences from a flashcard, and writing sentences that others spoke aloud, the researchers said. Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026 Now, the Chicago White Sox are copying the idea. Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 1 June 2026 Bown and Keynes were careful not to advocate for copying the Chinese model wholesale. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 May 2026 Prosecutors say Watson pretended to be a pregnant teen, copying the social media posts of a minor in Pennsylvania. Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copying
Verb
  • What online scammers are looking to steal The FBI issued a warning last month that cybercriminals are manipulating or reproducing the official FIFA World Cup website to scam fans who are looking for tickets, hospitality packages, merchandise, streaming access and betting opportunities.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
  • While the sterile insect release method relies primarily on sterile males reproducing with wild females, sterile male and female flies are often released at once for practical reasons.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Now, in a case of life imitating art, Cameron himself is being accused of corporate extraction by an Indigenous woman.
    Petala Ironcloud, Air Mail, 6 June 2026
  • In a case of life imitating art, this whodunnit explores the investigation behind her disappearance, strangely resembling one of Christie’s own novels, where everyone in her life becomes a suspect, including her brother, Monty (Trevena).
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Still, Lamont resists rendering a verdict.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • Then Google came and changed the rules, rendering older SEO tactics obsolete.
    Kurt Allen, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • That’s not a year fans should want any part of emulating.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
  • Rivals Crystal Palace became the third Premier League club in four years to lift the trophy with Wednesday’s 1-0 win in the final against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig, emulating West Ham (2023) and Chelsea (2025).
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • According to the team, the data collected by the system could be used to train robots to perform household tasks by replicating the dexterous hand movements used by humans.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026
  • Given the financial and environmental costs of manufacturing at scale in orbit, Williams, the biophysics professor, expects that the future lies in making small research batches in space and replicating that on Earth.
    Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • In an era when major cruise lines usually build ships in recognizable classes, repeating and refining a successful design across several vessels, that alone makes Epic unusual.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
  • In Nazi Germany, trans people were some of the first people who were attacked, and history is repeating.
    Grace Byron, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Creating parallel capabilities overseas risks duplicating existing infrastructure while diverting attention and resources from the interventions most likely to bring the outbreak under control.
    Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 5 June 2026
  • But Elliott’s openness to the idea of duplicating a move his father made 25 years ago was greeted with near-unanimous approval online.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2026

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“Copying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copying. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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