mountebank

noun

ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋk How to pronounce mountebank (audio)
Definition of mountebanknext
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise claimed that many doctors were frauds and mountebanks

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 mountebank 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 Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024 Now, this pallid Color Purple epitomizes the artistic dearth of an era when a cultural mountebank like Winfrey uses race and feminist guile to cheat us of America’s most creative achievements. — Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024 The alternative circumstance, that crackpots and mountebanks might claim such evidence exists, then fail to produce any, is, on the other hand, entirely plausible and familiar. — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mountebank
  1. fraud
  2. sham
  3. pretender
  4. charlatan
  5. fake
  6. deceiver
  7. quack
  8. impostor
Noun
  • His criminal record reflects some of the occasions he got caught and did jail time, for non-violent retail fraud.
    — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • The lawsuit includes claims of professional negligence, fraud, nuisance, negligence, labor code violations and wrongful death.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • Thoughtful details like precision stitching and rounded corners help keep the lightweight fill evenly in place, while the matching shams feature discrete overlap closures with charming scalloped trim.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026
  • Treat it as the foundation for a beautifully layered bed or add the matching pillow shams to streamline the look.
    — Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 17 July 2026
Definition of sham
Noun
  • At least one of them will in the coming weeks likely be exposed as a pretender.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
  • To add to the challenge, Brady also left his mark on the latest pretender to his crown.
    — Peter Carline, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of pretender
Noun
  • In place of San Francisco’s decaying arts bohemia of poseurs and charlatans, they can be said to be creating an alternate bohemia.
    — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.
    — Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • The stage, now covered in water, is quickly cleared as Holzinger comforts Nüganen; the fake-out isn’t entirely apparent until Saioa Alvarez comes out dressed as a plumber to take a look.
    — Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • In this case, as staff eventually discovered, the box had been returned – but the books themselves had been replaced with fakes.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of fake
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
  • But when a patient recognizes him from his dangerous past, Brown has eight hours to elude the government, mob hitmen, quack surgeons, and a trail of dead gangers to beat the reaper somehow.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
  • But let’s circle back to TV‘s patron saint of affable, oft–insidious quacks.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of quack
Noun
  • Then check your insurance account and watch for imposters who know just enough to sound convincing.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of impostor

Browse Nearby Words

mountaintops
mountebank
mountebankery
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Cite this Entry

“Mountebank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mountebank. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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