1 emulate | Definition of emulate

emulate

verb
em·​u·​late | \ ˈem-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce emulate (audio) , -yĂŒ-\
emulated; emulating

Definition of emulate

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to strive to equal or excel
b : imitate especially : to imitate by means of an emulator
2 : to equal or approach equality with

emulate

adjective
em·​u·​late | \ ˈem-yə-lət How to pronounce emulate (audio) \

Definition of emulate (Entry 2 of 2)

obsolete
: emulous sense 1b pricked on by a most emulate pride— William Shakespeare

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Did You Know?

Verb

If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, to paraphrase Charles C. Colton (circa 1780-1832), then past speakers of English clearly had a great admiration for the Latin language. The verb emulate joined the ranks of Latin-derived English terms in 1582. It comes from aemulus, a Latin term for rivaling or envious. Two related adjectives - emulate and emulous - appeared around the same time as the verb emulate. Both mean striving to emulate or sometimes jealous, but emulous is rare these days, and the adjective emulate is obsolete. The latter did have a brief moment of glory, however, when Shakespeare used it in Hamlet:

"Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dar'd to the combat. . . ."

Examples of emulate in a Sentence

Verb

If you are talking to someone younger, do not condescend. If you are talking to someone older, back up feelings with facts and never be in such a rush to make your point that you forget the art of listening. And please, no one try to emulate the histrionic, discursive style of any talking heads you see on television. — 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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Qualcomm’s taken a few prior stabs at running a laptop on Snapdragon—no small feat given the need to emulate Windows 10. Ben Patterson, PCWorld, "Hands-on: Samsung’s Galaxy Book S debuts with the Snapdragon 8cx," 8 Aug. 2019 Apollo managers also had no problem bringing in young visionaries to take on unprecedented tasks, a move emulated by Silicon Valley and its obsession with young minds thinking outside the box. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "How NASA’s Apollo program kicked off Silicon Valley’s tech revolution," 5 Aug. 2019 Apollo managers also had no problem bringing in young visionaries to take on unprecedented tasks, a move emulated by Silicon Valley and its obsession with young minds thinking outside the box. Jackie Wattles, CNN, "How NASA's Apollo program kicked off Silicon Valley's tech revolution," 4 Aug. 2019 While growing up a Sheffield United fan, it was reported last week that Maguire is keen on making the switch to Old Trafford in order to emulate childhood heroes Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. SI.com, "Report: Harry Maguire's Move to Manchester United 'Imminent'," 22 July 2019 This World Cup was supposed to deliver lots of high-scoring matches, with other teams emulating England’s tactics. M.j., The Economist, "How England won the Cricket World Cup," 18 July 2019 Of course, there is a temptation to emulate the big moments – bottom of the ninth, bases loaded – those kinds of situations. Andrew Turner, latimes.com, "Santa Margarita National beats Ocean View in extra innings," 13 July 2019 Decor: The furnishings emulate the experience of eating at a restaurant in Thailand. Donald Liebenson, Lake County News-Sun, "Ruby of Siam brings authentic Thai cuisine to Highland Park," 12 June 2019 The role also gives him the opportunity to emulate some of his black comic idols. Candice Frederick, Teen Vogue, ""On My Block" Star Brett Gray on the Innocence of Jamal and Channeling the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"," 2 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of emulate

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1602, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for emulate

Verb

borrowed from Latin aemulātus, past participle of aemulārī "to vie with, rival, imitate," derivative of aemulus "rivaling, emulous"

Adjective

borrowed from Latin aemulātus — more at emulate entry 1

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More Definitions for emulate

emulate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of emulate

: to try to be like (someone or something you admire)

emulate

verb
em·​u·​late | \ ˈem-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce emulate (audio) \
emulated; emulating

Kids Definition of emulate

: to try hard to be like or do better than : imitate She grew up emulating her sports heroes.

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More from Merriam-Webster on emulate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with emulate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for emulate

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Britannica English: Translation of emulate for Arabic Speakers