copycat
a person who imitates someone else
What it means
A copycat is someone who copies another person's behavior, ideas, style, or work, often without credit. The word ranges from playful — used by children — to seriously negative in business and crime contexts, where 'copycat' may describe imitation products or imitation criminal acts.
Words like “copycat” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- Stop being a copycat and pick your own outfit.
- Their new logo is a clear copycat of ours.
- Police feared a copycat attack after the news coverage.
- He's such a copycat — he ordered exactly what I ordered.
Where it comes from
American English from the late 19th century, with 'cat' used loosely as a familiar tag for a person (as in 'cool cat'). Originally schoolyard slang for a child who imitates another, it later extended to adults, brands, and crimes.
Related idioms
🎓 Think you know your idioms?
Take the English Idioms Test — 20 terms, instant result, no signup.
Take the English Idioms TestBuilt by the team behind Deep In.