impostor

noun

im-ˈpä-stər How to pronounce impostor (audio)
variants or imposter
Definition of impostornext
as in fake
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise the man who claimed to be a prince turned out to be an impostor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of impostor Such impostor scams, when a criminal pretends to be a legitimate business or even a government official, are proliferating and morphing at an accelerated rate as artificial intelligence makes impersonation easier than ever. — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026 Heroes have to figure out who's who, what's going on, and if longtime friends are actual allies or extraterrestrial imposters. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 2026 About $920 million of the losses stemmed from government-impostor scams, a $131 million jump from 2024. — Ella Moore july 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026 This stops deepfakes and imposters. — Rohan Pinto, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for impostor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impostor
  1. fake
  2. fraud
  3. pretender
  4. sham
  5. deceiver
  6. faker
  7. charlatan
  8. mountebank
Noun
  • As part of the investigation, the Canadian Conservation Institute agreed to inspect four potential fakes, which arrived on its doorstep in 2021.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The second-round pass rusher made aggressive mistakes, falling twice for option fakes and overrunning a screen pass early.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • Colorado has no shortage of important legal priorities, from protecting consumers against fraud to addressing the complex issues facing families and businesses across the state.
    — Robin Rossenfeld, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2026
  • So far, only one conviction has come out of the sweeping fraud investigation of Loretto’s former executives.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • The transfer portal can transform a contender into a pretender in a single offseason.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The schedule is forgivable, even by ACC standards, but a rematch on the road against Notre Dame will separate the Canes as contenders or pretenders.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of pretender
Noun
  • But investigators now say his story was a sham and that behind closed doors, the assistant fire chief was allegedly living a double life.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The set also comes with two matching pillow shams to tie everything together.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of sham
Noun
  • The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 12 May 2026
  • The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of deceiver
Noun
  • To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.
    — Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of faker
Noun
  • Their actions, goals, and promises mimic that of a charlatan.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ours is not a society that loathes charlatans; look who’s running things.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of mountebank

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Cite this Entry

“Impostor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impostor. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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