[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mimic.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / mimic

[← M](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/M/)

# mimic

«mimic» in Mova's school dictionary: **To copy the way someone talks or moves, often to be funny…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (mimic, mimics, mimicked, mimicking); noun (a mimic, mimics); adjective (mimic — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To copy the way someone talks or moves, often to be funny or to make fun of them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#m1)

2) In nature, to look or sound like something else to stay safe or to trick, as some animals do. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#m2)

3) (noun) A person or animal that is good at copying sounds or actions. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science it is about animal disguise: a hoverfly mimics a wasp, the lyrebird mimics chainsaws and cameras. In everyday life and kindness lessons, mimicking someone to make fun of them can hurt. In drama, mimicking voices is a skill. Phrases: a good mimic, mimic someone's accent.

### examples

- Parrots can mimic human words. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x1)
- The lyrebird mimics the sound of a camera shutter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x2)
- The hoverfly mimics a wasp so birds leave it alone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x3)
- Please don't mimic Sam's voice; it upsets him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x4)
- My sister is a brilliant mimic of our teacher. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x5)
- The stick insect mimics a twig. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x6)
- Robots can mimic the way people walk. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x7)
- By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/#x8)

### note

Spelling trap: add k before -ed and -ing: mimicked, mimicking (not mimiced). Noun: mimicry, the copying in nature. Similar: imitate, copy.

### In the corpora

- [The mimic octopus, discovered in 1998 off Indonesia, copies the shape and movement of dangerous animals like sea snakes and flatfish.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/234-animal-minds-the-octopus-escape-artist-and-puzzle-solver/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «mimic» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mimic/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.