I. mim ‧ ic 1 /ˈmɪmɪk/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle mimicked , present participle mimicking ) [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: mimic 'copying' (16-21 centuries) , from Latin mimicus , from Greek , from mimos ; ⇨ ↑ mime 1 ]
1 . to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, especially in order to make people laugh SYN imitate , take off :
He could mimic all the teachers’ accents.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she mimicked.
2 . to behave or operate in exactly the same way as something or someone else:
Europe should not try to mimic Japan: we have to find our own path to successful modernisation.
The drug mimics the action of the body’s own chemicals.
3 . if an animal mimics something, it looks or sounds very like it:
a fly whose size and colour exactly mimics that of the wasp
—mimicry noun [uncountable] :
He has a gift for mimicry.
II. mimic 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
a person or animal that is good at copying the movements, sound, or appearance of someone or something else ⇨ impressionist , impersonator