imitate
[verb]
Synonyms: copy, ape, echo, emulate, follow, mimic, mirror, repeat, simulate

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

im‧i‧tate /ˈɪməteɪt, ˈɪmɪteɪt/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of imitari]

1. to copy the way someone behaves, speaks, moves etc, especially in order to make people laugh:
She was a splendid mimic and loved to imitate Winston Churchill.
► Do not use imitate to mean ‘do the same thing as someone else’. Use copy: She worries that Tom will copy his brother (NOT imitate his brother) and leave home.

2. to copy something because you think it is good:
vegetarian products which imitate meat
The Japanese have no wish to imitate Western social customs and attitudes.
—imitator noun [countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

imitate
verb
BAD: I think I shall imitate my friend and join the club too.
GOOD: I think I shall copy my friend and join the club too.

Usage Note:
imitate = do something in exactly the same way that someone else does it: 'Have you heard him trying to imitate an Englishman speaking French?' 'He walks as if he is trying to imitate Donald Duck.'
copy = do the same thing as someone else: 'As soon as I began cycling to work, people started copying me.' 'His little sister wants to copy him all the time.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲