impostor
noun
im·pos·tor
im-ˈpä-stər 
variants
or imposter
: one that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception
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
In another film with a less happy outcome, the woman who claims to be the amnesiac’s wife is an impostor who ends up torturing him.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
He is dismissed as an impostor, but is his story true?
—Phillipa Gregory, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
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Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
He is dismissed as an impostor, but is his story true?
—Phillipa Gregory, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
Cite this Entry
“Impostor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impostor. Accessed 4 Nov. 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
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