copying

copying — verb

1. to deliberately produce a near-identical version of someone else's work, often w

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to deliberately produce a near-identical version of someone else's work, often without their permission.

Example

Aoi was caught copying her neighbor's answers during the math exam.

copy + noun (answers) + from someone

Obi spent two days copying the medieval map onto thick parchment paper.

copy + noun + onto + surface

Common collocations
  • copy a document
  • copy an essay
  • copy someone's homework
  • copy by hand
Synonyms
  • duplicate

    neutral, often used for documents and files

  • reproduce

    formal; suggests careful, exact copying

  • plagiarize

    negative; copying someone's work and pretending it is yours

Antonyms
  • create

    make something new, not based on an existing work

Grammar Patterns

copy + noun (work/text/picture)

copy + noun + from + source

Usage Note

Object is usually a creative or original work (essay, picture, song, code). Distinguish from sense 4: this sense covers reproducing whole pieces of work; sense 4 covers the keyboard action of moving text.

Common Mistakes

I copied my homework yesterday for an hour.
I copied out my homework yesterday for an hour.
when 'copy' means rewriting your own notes neatly, English usually adds 'out'.

2. to act, dress, or talk like another person on purpose, usually because you look

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to act, dress, or talk like another person on purpose, usually because you look up to them or want to fit in.

Example

Padma copied her older sister's hairstyle and even her way of laughing.

copy + person's + behavior/style

Many young footballers copy Messi's free-kick technique on the practice field.

copy + famous person + skill

Common collocations
  • copy someone's style
  • copy a hero
  • copy an accent
  • copy a gesture
Synonyms
  • imitate

    neutral; covers both intentional copying and unintentional resemblance

  • mimic

    often suggests humorous or mocking imitation

  • emulate

    formal and positive; trying to match someone's success

Grammar Patterns

copy + person

copy + person's + behavior/clothes/accent

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person who admires, follows, or wants to learn from another. Often used with younger people learning from older role models. Less negative than 'mimic', which can suggest mockery.

Common Mistakes

She copies after her mother.
She copies her mother.' / 'She takes after her mother.
'copy' takes a direct object; 'take after' is the phrase for natural family resemblance.

3. to produce an identical electronic duplicate of a file, document, folder, or pro

3.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to produce an identical electronic duplicate of a file, document, folder, or program from its original.

Example

Walid copied the spreadsheet to his USB drive before leaving the office.

copy + file + to + location

Please copy the project folder onto the shared network before the meeting.

copy + folder + onto + drive

Common collocations
  • copy a file
  • copy a folder
  • copy data
  • copy to a USB
Synonyms
  • duplicate

    very close in meaning; common in software menus

  • back up

    make a safety copy in case the original is lost

  • clone

    technical; make an exact copy of a drive or repository

Antonyms
  • delete

    remove rather than reproduce

Grammar Patterns

copy + noun (file/document)

copy + noun + to + location

Usage Note

Common with prepositions 'to', 'onto', 'into' for the destination, and 'from' for the source. Often appears in technical instructions ('copy the file to the desktop').

Common Mistakes

Please copy this file in the new folder.
Please copy this file to the new folder.
for digital destinations, use 'to' or 'into', not 'in'.

4. to use a keyboard or menu to take a piece of text or an image from one place on

4.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to use a keyboard or menu to take a piece of text or an image from one place on a screen and put it somewhere else.

Example

Sophia copied and pasted the address from the email into Google Maps.

copy and paste + noun + from X + into Y

Just copy the link, then paste it into the chat box.

imperative pattern: copy + noun, then paste

Common collocations
  • copy and paste
  • copy the text
  • copy the link
  • copy a paragraph
Synonyms
  • duplicate

    more formal; less natural for the on-screen Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V action

Antonyms
  • cut

    remove the original instead of leaving it in place

Grammar Patterns

copy and paste + noun

copy + noun + into + document

Usage Note

Almost always paired with 'paste'. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is the brief on-screen action (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C, then Ctrl+V); sense 3 is duplicating a whole file at the file-system level.

Common Mistakes

I copied the text and pasted in the document.
I copied the text and pasted it into the document.
'paste' needs a pronoun object when the text isn't repeated.

5. in radio talk, to say that you have clearly heard and understood the message tha

5.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

in radio talk, to say that you have clearly heard and understood the message that was just sent.

Example

Iris pressed the radio button and said, 'Copy that, base camp — we are heading down now.'

fixed expression: 'copy that'

The pilot copied the new landing instructions from the control tower.

copy + noun (message/instructions)

Common collocations
  • copy that
  • do you copy?
  • copy loud and clear
Synonyms
  • roger

    older radio slang meaning the same thing

  • acknowledge

    formal equivalent used in written procedures

Grammar Patterns

copy + that

do you copy?

Usage Note

Mostly heard in military, aviation, police, and emergency-services contexts. Often appears as the fixed phrases 'copy that', 'do you copy?', and 'loud and clear'. Has spread into casual speech as a slightly playful way to say 'understood'.

Common Mistakes

I copy with you.
I copy you.' / 'Copy that.
no preposition is needed; 'copy' takes the speaker or the message as a direct object.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs cover the idea of making something resemble an original, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Copy' is the everyday, neutral choice and works for most situations, from schoolwork to digital files. 'Imitate' focuses on matching a style, behavior, or sound rather than producing an exact replica — children imitate adults; jazz students imitate Miles Davis. 'Duplicate' is the most technical word: it stresses an exact, often mechanical reproduction, like a duplicated key or a duplicated record. 'Plagiarize' carries a strong negative judgment — it specifically means passing off someone else's words or ideas as your own. 'Reproduce' is more formal and is favored in printing, science, and art ('the museum reproduces the painting in the gift-shop catalogue'). So a teacher might say a student 'copied' the homework, 'plagiarized' a research paper, 'imitated' the writing style of a favorite author, and asked the printer to 'reproduce' the cover art exactly.

copy ↗imitate ↗duplicate ↗plagiarizereproduce ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • copy and paste
  • copy that
  • copy by hand
  • copy from a friend

Prepositions

  • from (a source)
  • to (a destination)
  • into (a folder)
  • onto (a drive)

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The verb 'copy' came into English in the late 1300s from Old French 'copier', which itself grew from Medieval Latin 'copiare', meaning 'to transcribe'. The Latin root 'copia' meant 'plenty' or 'abundance', and a 'copy' in early use was understood as one of several available transcripts of a text. From the original meaning of writing out a manuscript by hand, the verb broadened to cover all kinds of imitation — paintings, behavior, accents, and eventually digital files. The radio sense ('do you copy?') is twentieth-century military slang, growing out of the older idea of 'taking down' a transmitted message.