impostor
noun
im·pos·tor
im-ˈpä-stər 
variants
or imposter
: one that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception
Synonyms
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
After Elon Musk purchased Twitter and swiftly removed all content moderation, a substantial exodus flowed to weak impostors like BlueSky, Threads, and Mastodon.
—
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
However, Macy's Santa is supposed to be the real Santa, so the department store wanted to cut the famous scene where Buddy finds out about the impostor.
—Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 Dec. 2024
Nearly 600,000 reports of impostor schemes, including romance scams, were received by FTC officials this year, with losses exceeding $2.1 billion.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
But don’t be fooled — what might seem like a clandestine cannabis crop is often just a harmless impostor.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for impostor 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
However, Macy's Santa is supposed to be the real Santa, so the department store wanted to cut the famous scene where Buddy finds out about the impostor.
—Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 Dec. 2024
Nearly 600,000 reports of impostor schemes, including romance scams, were received by FTC officials this year, with losses exceeding $2.1 billion.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
But don’t be fooled — what might seem like a clandestine cannabis crop is often just a harmless impostor.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for impostor
Dictionary Entries Near impostor
Cite this Entry
“Impostor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impostor. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impostor
noun
im·pos·tor
variants
or imposter
: a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive
Legal Definition
impostor
noun
im·pos·tor
variants
or imposter
: one that assumes a false identity or title for the purpose of deception : impersonator
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share