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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 In Orange County, Rivera reported her impostor to the state bar, which is investigating. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 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 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 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
  • Cousins wasn’t mobile enough to execute play fakes in 2024, and Penix wasn’t comfortable turning his back to do the defense.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Many of these fakes do not meet American manufacturing and product safety standards, per the CPSC.
    — Parents, Parents, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • Investigators found that those allegations only scratched the surface of the amount of fraud that was believed to have occurred.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Critics also questioned whether the bill provided sufficient safeguards against fraud, money laundering and market manipulation.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 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
  • The five-piece set includes a plush comforter, throw blanket, shams, and a decorative pillow for calming cohesion, and comes in rich neutrals like creamy beige, midnight blue, and toasty brown.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • You and many others have been taken in by a lowlife charlatan.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Their actions, goals, and promises mimic that of a charlatan.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 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 20 Sep. 2026.

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