alias

play

adverb ali·as \ ˈā-lē-əs , ˈāl-yəs \

Definition of alias

:otherwise called :otherwise known as —used to indicate an additional name that a person (such as a criminal) sometimes uses

John Smith alias Richard Jones was identified as the suspect.

See alias defined for English-language learners

See alias defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of alias

Latin, otherwise, from alius other — more at else

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

alias

noun

Definition of alias

:an assumed or additional name that a person (such as a criminal) sometimes uses

a fugitive using several aliases

He checked into the hotel using an alias.

John Smith, who goes by the alias Richard Jones

See alias defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of alias from the Web

The tool built by the hacker, who goes by the online alias Profexer, was not used in the spy operation.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "40 Under 40 Security Picks, FBI Dents Kaspersky, HBO Leaks," 19 Aug. 2017
Amos is described as 5-foot-9, 170 pounds and goes by aliases Davonte, Davante, Davant'e, Tay, Lil Tae and KD.

— maddie koss, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "FBI announces $20,000 reward for arrest of Milwaukee man wanted for multiple armed robberies," 8 Aug. 2017
Hillman, using an alias, started asking questions on The Review Board.

— The Seattle Times, "How police brought down a tech-savvy prostitution network in Bellevue," 26 July 2017
Rakin has also used the alias names of Jarrod Davis and Prody Davis in the past, according to Florip.

— frank s. abderholden, Lake County News-Sun, "Murder charges dropped against Wisconsin woman in Waukegan house-party slaying," 24 July 2017
Henry Konah Koffie, 32, who according to court records goes by the alias Narcoboss, was identified in a recent New York Times article as a prolific vendor of opiates on a dark web site known as Alphabay.

— noelle crombie, OregonLive.com, "Two fentanyl overdose deaths tied to dark web lead to Portland charges," 12 July 2017
Bejarano sometimes uses aliases, including Humberto Bejarano Guerrero.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "Deputies still seeking suspect in St. Tammany murder," 11 July 2017
And, accordingly, Khrushchev sought to influence the outcome to his liking: Alexander Feklisov, then the KGB station chief in Washington under the alias ‘

— katie reilly, PEOPLE.com, "How Russians Once Tried to Help Another White House Race (John F. Kennedy’s) But Were Shut Down by His Brother RFK," 10 July 2017
The company says the alias was created to help the former CEO avoid a flood of messages after environmental activists obtained his actual email address.

— steve peoples, chicagotribune.com, "Tillerson in focus as Exxon climate change investigation intensifies," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alias.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of alias

see ¹alias

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

See Words from the same year

alias Synonyms

Synonyms

nickname, byname, cognomen, epithet, handle, moniker (also monicker), sobriquet (also soubriquet), surname

Related Words

appellation, denomination, denotation, designation, label, tag, title; anonym, nom de guerre, nom de plume, pen name, pseudonym

ALIAS Defined for Kids

alias

adverb \ ˈā-lē-əs \

Definition of alias for Students

:otherwise known as

Samuel Clemens, alias Mark Twain wrote many stories about life on the Mississippi.

alias

noun

Definition of alias for Students

:a false name

The criminal used several aliases.

Law Dictionary

alias

play

adverb \ ˈā-lē-əs, ˈāl-yəs \

legal Definition of alias

:otherwise called :also known as

John Thomas Nolan, alias Legs Diamond

Origin and Etymology of alias

Latin, otherwise, from alius other

alias

noun

legal Definition of alias

:an assumed or additional name

alias

adjective

legal Definition of alias

:issued after the original instrument has not produced any action

an alias tax warrant

an alias summons

— compare pluries

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for alias Spanish Central: Translation of alias Nglish: Translation of alias for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of alias for Arabic speakers

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Origin and Etymology of alias

alias

Definition of alias

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Origin and Etymology of alias

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ALIAS Defined for Kids

alias

Definition of alias for Students

alias

Definition of alias for Students

Law Dictionary

alias

legal Definition of alias

Origin and Etymology of alias

alias

legal Definition of alias

alias

legal Definition of alias

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