personate
/ˈpəːs(ə)neɪt
/verb [with object] formal
1Play the part of (a character in a drama): here was our village cobbler in a French uniform, personating the general...
- It had been agreed that, in their escape, she was to personate the character of a Creole lady, and Emmeline that of her servant.
- Especially since it is so simple: One performer personates Noël; the other, Gertie.
1.1Pretend to be (someone else), especially for fraudulent purposes such as casting a vote in another person’s name: he personated the king [no object]: he found himself personating at an election...
- He had acted as personating agent for the party at successive elections and was always to the fore at Church gate collections and fund raising events.
- Now that he has put on Christ, he personates Him, so to speak, as a beggar in borrowed robes represents a king on the stage, walking as he also walked.
- The clever rogues who had employed him and personated the members of the honourable firm were never traced.
Derivatives
personation
/ noun ...- Research will have to be carried out on it and we may have to have stricter criteria to wipe out personation at polling booths.
- The strictest electoral laws in Europe were introduced on the back of false allegations of mass personation.
- A pay phone situated in the garden has long since lost its dialling tone, so if there's a case of personation he may have difficulty contacting the gardaí.
personator
/ noun ...- Personators only get extreme in other categories.
Origin
Late 16th century: from late Latin personat- 'represented by acting', from Latin persona 'mask' (see person).