What does impersonating mean?
Impersonating means assuming the identity, role, or characteristic manner of another person. In most contemporary usage, the word suggests deception: an impostor may impersonate a police officer, an official, a customer-service representative, or another person online for personal gain. The expression can also have a lighter, entertainment-related sense, as when a comedian impersonates a famous performer, though portraying may sound more neutral in that context. As the present participle and gerund of impersonate, impersonating is grammatically a verb form and normally takes an object identifying the person or role being assumed. The related noun impersonation names the act itself, while an impersonator is someone who carries it out. The word is not restricted to a particular English-speaking region, although pronunciations differ in the treatment of the r sound.
verbImpersonating means assuming the identity, role, or characteristic manner of another person, usually with the intention of deceiving others. It is the present participle and gerund of the verb impersonate.
- To assume or represent the identity, role, or character of another person, especially in order to deceive.
"The warning prevented him from impersonating a customer-service representative."
"He was charged with impersonating a police officer during the investigation."
"The comedian is known for impersonating famous historical figures on television."
A mask conceals a face; impersonation borrows an entire identity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of impersonating
The English verb impersonate was formed with the prefix im-, meaning “into,” and person, together with the verb-forming suffix -ate. The word's semantic history is connected to Latin persona, meaning “mask,” through the related English words personal and impersonal. Over time, the meaning developed into the modern sense of taking on another person's identity or character, a sense closely associated with deception.
Related word forms
How impersonating is actually used
The word usually carries a negative or potentially deceptive connotation, although it can also describe harmless theatrical or comic performance. In its present-participle and gerund forms, it is used without singular or plural agreement.
Easily confused with impersonating
Impersonating is the verb describing the act of assuming another person's identity, while impersonation is the noun naming the act or the resulting practice.
An impersonator is the person who assumes another identity, whereas impersonating is the action performed by that person.