alias

noun

ali·​as ˈā-lē-əs 

ˈāl-yəs

plural aliases

: an assumed or additional name that a person sometimes uses

a fugitive using several aliases

John Smith, who goes by the alias Richard Jones

He checked into the hotel using an alias. = He checked into the hotel under an alias.

"My [gaming] alias when I was 18 … was Princess Peach," she [Bella Hadid] says with glee …

—Alex Frank

sometimes, specifically : a pseudonym (such as a pen name or stage name) that is associated with a person's professional identity

wrote the novels under an alias

Donald Glover, also known under his rap alias Childish Gambino, is an actor, writer, director, comedian and musician.

—Mark Warren

Vin Diesel, born Mark Sinclair, took on the tougher-sounding moniker as a bouncer in New York; the alias stuck as he transitioned into acting.

—Mae Ross

Synonyms of alias

• nickname
• surname
• moniker
• epithet

Examples of alias in a Sentence

a fugitive using several aliases

a dressmaker whom everyone knows as “Bet,” her adopted alias in the dressmaking business that she named after Betsy Ross

Recent Examples on the Web

O'Rourke has also used aliases Vanessa Gulinello and Cecila Vincent Gaeta Lazaro. —Joe Brandt, CBS News, 3 June 2026

But Cage is far from the only big name to have been born with a different one, and sometimes celebs choose new aliases for reasons a bit more intriguing than simply being a nepo baby. —Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026

Federal officials also learned that O’Rourke has pending cases following arrests under various aliases in Suffolk County, New York, in November 2023; Everett, Washington, in September 2025; Linden, New Jersey, in December 2025; and Snohomish County, Washington, in January 2026. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026

While court orders that block counterfeiters can help to safeguard intellectual property, sometimes those counterfeiters simply turn to other aliases and cybersquatting ploys to continue their activities. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

noun derivative of alias entry 2

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing alias

• under an alias

Kids Definition

alias

1 of 2 adverb

ˈā-lē-əs, 

ˈāl-yəs

: otherwise called : otherwise known as

John Doe alias Richard Roe

alias

2 of 2 noun

: an assumed or additional name

Legal Definition

alias

1 of 3 adverb

ˈā-lē-əs, ˈāl-yəs 

: otherwise called : also known as

John Thomas Nolan, alias Legs Diamond

alias

2 of 3 noun

: an assumed or additional name

alias

3 of 3 adjective

: issued after the original instrument has not produced any action

an alias tax warrant

an alias summons

compare pluries

Etymology

Latin, otherwise, from alius other