impostor

noun

im·​pos·​tor im-ˈpä-stər 

variants or imposter

: one that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception

Synonyms

• charlatan
• fake
• faker
• fakir
• fraud
• hoaxer
• humbug
• mountebank
• phony
• phoney
• pretender
• quack
• quacksalver
• ringer
• sham

Examples of impostor in a Sentence

He claimed he was an experienced pilot, but he turned out to be an impostor.

the man who claimed to be a prince turned out to be an impostor

Recent Examples on the Web

The same type of evil is in the bank impostor scam. —Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

The trope is familiar from classic narratives in which the mulatto is always living an imitation of life, an impostor on both sides of the racial divide. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2024

Sometimes such impostors adopt false online personas in order to gain entrance to chat groups or private servers. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024

In Rankin’s short, Rankin himself plays an impostor posing as the not-so-famous Winnipeg filmmaker Matthew Rankin. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin impostor, from Latin imponere

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing impostor

• impostor syndrome

Kids Definition

impostor

noun

im·​pos·​tor

variants or imposter

im-ˈpäs-tər 

: a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive

Legal Definition

impostor

noun

im·​pos·​tor

variants or imposter

im-ˈpäs-tər 

: one that assumes a false identity or title for the purpose of deception : impersonator