Meaning of "imitate" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD IMITATE

From Latin imitārī.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF IMITATE

imitate  [ˈɪmɪˌteɪt]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF IMITATE

Imitate is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb imitate in English.

WHAT DOES IMITATE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Imitation

Imitation is an advanced behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of social learning that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. It allows for the transfer of information between individuals and down generations without the need for genetic inheritance." The word imitation can be applied in many contexts, ranging from animal training to international politics.

Definition of imitate in the English dictionary

The first definition of imitate in the dictionary is to try to follow the manner, style, character, etc, of or take as a model. Other definition of imitate is to pretend to be or to impersonate, esp for humour; mimic. Imitate is also to make a copy or reproduction of; duplicate; counterfeit.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO IMITATE

PRESENT

Present

I imitate

you imitate

he/she/it imitates

we imitate

you imitate

they imitate

Present continuous

I am imitating

you are imitating

he/she/it is imitating

we are imitating

you are imitating

they are imitating

Present perfect

I have imitated

you have imitated

he/she/it has imitated

we have imitated

you have imitated

they have imitated

Present perfect continuous

I have been imitating

you have been imitating

he/she/it has been imitating

we have been imitating

you have been imitating

they have been imitating

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I imitated

you imitated

he/she/it imitated

we imitated

you imitated

they imitated

Past continuous

I was imitating

you were imitating

he/she/it was imitating

we were imitating

you were imitating

they were imitating

Past perfect

I had imitated

you had imitated

he/she/it had imitated

we had imitated

you had imitated

they had imitated

Past perfect continuous

I had been imitating

you had been imitating

he/she/it had been imitating

we had been imitating

you had been imitating

they had been imitating

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will imitate

you will imitate

he/she/it will imitate

we will imitate

you will imitate

they will imitate

Future continuous

I will be imitating

you will be imitating

he/she/it will be imitating

we will be imitating

you will be imitating

they will be imitating

Future perfect

I will have imitated

you will have imitated

he/she/it will have imitated

we will have imitated

you will have imitated

they will have imitated

Future perfect continuous

I will have been imitating

you will have been imitating

he/she/it will have been imitating

we will have been imitating

you will have been imitating

they will have been imitating

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would imitate

you would imitate

he/she/it would imitate

we would imitate

you would imitate

they would imitate

Conditional continuous

I would be imitating

you would be imitating

he/she/it would be imitating

we would be imitating

you would be imitating

they would be imitating

Conditional perfect

I would have imitate

you would have imitate

he/she/it would have imitate

we would have imitate

you would have imitate

they would have imitate

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been imitating

you would have been imitating

he/she/it would have been imitating

we would have been imitating

you would have been imitating

they would have been imitating

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you imitate
we let´s imitate
you imitate

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to imitate

Past participle

imitated

Present Participle

imitating

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «IMITATE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «imitate» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of imitate

affect · ape · burlesque · caricature · copy · counterfeit · do · duplicate · echo · emulate · follow · follow suit · impersonate · mimic · mirror · mock · parody · personate · repeat · send up · simulate · spoof · take off

TRANSLATION OF IMITATE

Find out the translation of imitate to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of imitate from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «imitate» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 模仿
• Translator English - Spanish: imitar
• English: imitate
• Translator English - Hindi: नकल
• Translator English - Arabic: يُقَلِّدُ
• Translator English - Russian: подражать
• Translator English - Portuguese: imitar
• Translator English - Bengali: অনুকরণ করা
• Translator English - French: imiter
• Translator English - Malay: Meniru
• Translator English - German: imitieren
• Translator English - Japanese: 模倣する
• Translator English - Korean: 모방하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Niru
• Translator English - Vietnamese: bắt chước
• Translator English - Tamil: பின்பற்றலாம்
• Translator English - Marathi: अनुकरण करा
• Translator English - Turkish: taklit etmek
• Translator English - Italian: imitare
• Translator English - Polish: imitować
• Translator English - Ukrainian: імітувати
• Translator English - Romanian: a imita
• Translator English - Greek: μιμούμαι
• Translator English - Afrikaans: boots
• Translator English - Swedish: imitera
• Translator English - Norwegian: imitere

10 QUOTES WITH «IMITATE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word imitate.

1

Pedro Almodovar

I don't want to imitate life in movies; I want to represent it. And in that representation, you use the colors you feel, and sometimes they are fake colors. But always it's to show one emotion.

2

Athanasius

One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life.

3

Russell Banks

And out of a desire essentially to imitate what I was reading, I began to write, like a clever monkey.

4

Simone de Beauvoir

Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female - whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.

5

Bernardo Bertolucci

I like that 3D is based on the fact that you look with two eyes, so two cameras imitate that.

6

Morgan Brittany

Hollywood has an obligation to watch what they put out there. Kids do imitate what they see - good or bad.

7

Anne Carson

There is something about the way that Greek poets, say Aeschylus, use metaphor that really attracts me. I don't think I can imitate it, but there's a density to it that I think I'm always trying to push towards in English.

8

Charles II

I always admired virtue - but I could never imitate it.

9

Clifton Collins, Jr.

I didn't just grow up in one environment, so it was easy for me, as a child, just to imitate and just be all these different people.

10

Eliza Coupe

In college, I went to school for acting; we had to learn phonetics just to be able to do dialects and all that stuff. I'm somebody who does better just hearing it. I'll just imitate it, and I get it better that way. When I know too much information, I'm not great.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «IMITATE»

Discover the use of imitate in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to imitate and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Imitate the Tiger

Chris Serbo knows and loves football and struggles to play it well, but when faced with pressure, he turns to alcohol and rebels against those who are the closest to him, including his aunt, coach, teachers, and friends.

Jan Cheripko, 1998

Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay: 30 Techniques & Projects that ...

These 30 recipes for special finishing, shaping, baking, and molding techniques will transform polymer's appearance.

Irene Semanchuk Dean, 2003

Imitate Me

" He makes the argument that as children of God we are to imitate Him. This book by D. Sterling Harlow takes us on the journey of discovering just what that means. How do I imitate God? Does He really believe we can?

D. Sterling Harlow, 2012

Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases from the ...

div In this provocative challenge to prevailing views of New Testament sources, Dennis R. MacDonald argues that the origins of passages in the book of Acts are to be found not in early Christian legends but in the epics of Homer.

Dennis R. MacDonald, 2008

Teaching Children with Autism which Responses to Imitate in ...

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects as many as 1 in 150 children.

Ann K. Brown, 2008

Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary ...

How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People Charles A. O'Reilly, Jeffrey Pfeffer. Chapter 2 Southwest Airlines: If Success Is So Simple, Why Is It So Hard to Imitate?

Charles A. O'Reilly, Jeffrey Pfeffer, 2000

Sound words: jingle, buzz, sizzle, and other words that ...

Lists 28 words that echo and imitate the natural sounds of objects and actions.

Joan Hanson, 1976

Old Point Lace: And how to Copy and Imitate It

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.

Daisy Waterhouse Hawkins, 2010

The Purse-uit of Holiness: Learning to Imitate the Master ...

With a sharp wit and keen insight, Rhea takes women on the lookout for the perfect spiritual life into an in-depth but always entertaining study of 1 Peter 1:15-16.

Rhonda Rhea, 2008

More sound words: munch, clack, thump, and other words that ...

Illustrates 26 words that echo and imitate the natural sounds of objects and actions.

Joan Hanson, 1979

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «IMITATE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term imitate is used in the context of the following news items.

Facebook Wants to Own Your Life, Not Imitate Amazon | WIRED

Tech giants increasingly want to be the one and only stop for every aspect of your life. They want to be where you go to socialize with friends, ... «Wired, Jul 15»

30,000 Jehovah's Witnesses to imitate Christ at ExCeL convention …

“The 'Imitate Jesus' conventions will examine Jesus' life as outlined in the Bible and emphasise how all can benefit in practical ways from his ... «Newham Recorder, Jul 15»

Life and art imitate the racists of history and fiction

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2013 file photo, a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest sits on a concrete pedestal at a park named after the confederate in ... «Chattanooga Times Free Press, Jul 15»

Jehovah's Witnesses welcome all to the 2015 'Imitate Jesus …

The theme of this year's program is “Imitate Jesus!” Scott Henderson, a convention spokesman, states: “Jesus, founder of Christianity, is widely ... «Hot Springs Village Voice, Jul 15»

Jehovah's Witness urges Zambians to imitate Christ

Bitwell Phiri, spokesperson for the upcoming Jehovah's Witness convention themed 'Imitate Jesus', said it was difficult for any government to ... «postzambia.com, Jul 15»

Jehovah's Witnesses welcome all to 2015 “Imitate Jesus!” Convention

The theme of this year's program is “Imitate Jesus!” Scott Henderson, a convention spokesman, states: “Jesus the founder of Christianity is ... «Siftings Herald, Jul 15»

Watch Drake Imitate Oprah, Bieber, Miley in Insane 'Energy' Video

Apple Music DJ Drake phoned into Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show Friday afternoon to debut the absurd music video for "Energy," a highlight off the ... «RollingStone.com, Jul 15»

Day 01 of 03: Imitate Jesus! 2015 Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses

Day 01 of 03: Imitate Jesus! .... Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses ascended upon the indoor complex in the first of a three-day event entitled, "Imitate Jesus! «Naples Daily News, Jul 15»

The on-demand economy doesn't have to imitate Uber to win

Uber's momentum on the west coast was recently challenged by the the California Labor Commission, which ruled in June that Uber drivers ... «Quartz, Jul 15»

Jehovah's Witnesses in Toledo

Members of Jehovah's Witnesses congregations have gathered at the SeaGate Convention Centre Arena for “Imitate Jesus!” They are taking ... «Toledo Blade, Jul 15»