William Shakespeare
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They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but we’ll posit that emulation is even more so. What’s the difference between imitating and emulating? Sometimes not a thing: emulate can be used as a synonym of imitate, as in “a painter who emulates her teacher’s style.” But more often, emulate is about trying to equal or surpass someone you admire by striving to master what they’ve accomplished. The word was adopted in the late 16th century from a form of the Latin word aemulārī, meaning “to vie with; to rival; to imitate.” Imitate was adopted about fifty years earlier from a form of the Latin word imitārī, meaning “to follow as a pattern; to copy.” Emulate emulated its success.
Synonyms
Examples of emulate in a Sentence
William Norwich, Vogue, 9 Sept. 2008
Although some schools are postponing new projects because of the faltering economy, others are forging ahead with plans to emulate freshman programs that have long existed at some of the nation's oldest colleges.
—Jeninne Lee-St. John, Time, 27 Oct. 2008
I started out emulating Chandler in that first book, maybe the first book and a half, because I was in my novitiate, and whenever I wasn't clear on what to do I would actively think about Chandler and what Marlow would have done.
—Robert B. Parker et al., Colloquium on Crime, 1986
She grew up emulating her sports heroes.
artists emulating the style of their teachers
Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Other firms should emulate Costco and focus on building long-term customer loyalty instead of optimization at all cost.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emulate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near emulate
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“Emulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emulate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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