/ ˈɪmɪteɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ]
1.
to copy sb/sth :
Her style of painting has been imitated by other artists.
Art imitates Nature.
Teachers provide a model for children to imitate.
No computer can imitate the complex functions of the human brain.
2.
to copy the way a person speaks or behaves, in order to amuse people
SYN mimic :
She knew that the girls used to imitate her and laugh at her behind her back.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin imitat- copied, from the verb imitari ; related to imago image.