Meaning & use
emulations
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“emulations” is a form of “emulation”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountablecomputingtechnical
Software or hardware setups that let one computer system behave like another and run its programs.
Grammar: Plural form: the emulations run old games.
Patterns
- emulations of something
Several emulations of the old console are available online.
The company tested its software on different emulations of the chip.
Developers use emulations to test apps on many phone models.
nouncountableformal
Efforts to equal or surpass someone or something admired, usually by copying their methods.
Grammar: Plural; more often uncountable emulation in general use.
Patterns
- emulations of someone
The school's emulations of famous teaching methods had mixed results.
The young players' emulations of their heroes were touching.
His many emulations of earlier masters showed his devotion.
Word forms
| singular | emulation |
|---|
Common combinations
- software emulations
- Software emulations let us run old programs.
- accurate emulations
- Accurate emulations copy even small hardware quirks.
- emulations of classic games
- Emulations of classic games are popular with collectors.
- run emulations
- Engineers run emulations before they build the chip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- imitations
- Imitations are copies of appearance or behavior, while emulations aim to match or beat the original.
- simulations
- Simulations model how something behaves, whereas emulations reproduce it closely enough to replace it.
- replicas
- Replicas are physical copies, but emulations are usually software or efforts to equal someone.
- imitations
- Imitations may be only superficial, while emulations imply serious effort to match quality.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: emulations or simulation?
emulations vs simulation
A simulation models a process to study it, while an emulation reproduces a system so well that it can stand in for the original.
Practice
Collectors use ___ to play old arcade games on modern computers.
Choose one answer.
Emulations let one computer behave like another system. The other options are real words but have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “emulations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.