n.
Function: verb
Inflected Form: cop · ied ; copy · ing
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to make a copy or duplicate of < copy a document> < copy a computer file>
2 : to model oneself on
intransitive verb
1 : to make a copy
2 : to undergo copying <the document did not copy well>
synonyms COPY , IMITATE , MIMIC , APE , MOCK mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing. COPY suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible < copied the painting and sold the fake as an original>. IMITATE suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation < imitate a poet's style>. MIMIC implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation <pupils mimicking their teacher>. APE may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original <American fashion designers aped their European colleagues>. MOCK usually implies imitation with derision < mocking a vain man's pompous manner>.