Definition

Noun: 1. A person who imitates the appearance, voice, or mannerisms of another person, often for entertainment. This is the most common usage, referring to performers who mimic celebrities or public figures. 2. A person who fraudulently assumes the identity or appearance of another. This usage emphasizes deception, often for illegal or harmful purposes.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Entertainment context):
  • The comedy show featured a talented impersonator who did perfect impressions of famous politicians.
  • She is a professional Elvis Presley impersonator.
• Noun (Fraudulent context):
  • The criminal was an expert impersonator who stole money by pretending to be a bank official.
  • He was arrested for being an impersonator who used a fake ID.

Advanced Usage

• "Celebrity impersonator": A specific type of performer who specializes in imitating famous people.
  • The party hired a celebrity impersonator to look and sound like the company's CEO for a humorous speech.
• "Master impersonator": Used to describe someone with exceptional skill in imitation.
  • He is considered a master impersonator because he can mimic dozens of different accents flawlessly.

Variants and Related Words

• Impersonate (verb): To imitate or pretend to be another person.
  • It is illegal to impersonate a police officer.
• Impersonation (noun): The act of impersonating someone.
  • His impersonation of the president was hilarious.

Synonyms

• Mimic: Someone who imitates, especially for entertainment.
• Impostor / Imposter: Someone who pretends to be someone else to deceive (stronger connotation of fraud).
• Look-alike: Someone who closely resembles another person in appearance.

Related Phrases

• To do an impersonation of: To perform as an imitation of a specific person.
  • Can you do an impersonation of your teacher?
• To pass oneself off as: To deceptively claim to be someone else (often used with "impersonator").
  • The impersonator tried to pass himself off as a wealthy investor.

Noun

1. someone who (fraudulently) assumes the appearance of another