variants
or imposters
as in frauds
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the man who claimed to be a prince turned out to be an impostor
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Recent Examples of impostors
The impostors have been presenting themselves as representatives of the Texas Department of Insurance's Division of Workers' Compensation.
—
Doug Myers, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposters posing as government agencies were one of the top reported scams in the Arizona, costing consumers more than $20 million in 2025.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
And when stuck in this uncomfortable space, people who feel like impostors are likely to become defensive and feel pressured to be a hero.
—John M. Lavelle, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025
Now, artificial intelligence has become the latest battleground for digital impostors.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
An information vacuum seems to have encouraged imposters.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
Compass’ Shane Boyle is one of the dozens of real estate brokers who these imposters are pretending to be.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Doug Myers, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposters posing as government agencies were one of the top reported scams in the Arizona, costing consumers more than $20 million in 2025.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
And when stuck in this uncomfortable space, people who feel like impostors are likely to become defensive and feel pressured to be a hero.
—John M. Lavelle, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025
Now, artificial intelligence has become the latest battleground for digital impostors.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
An information vacuum seems to have encouraged imposters.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
Compass’ Shane Boyle is one of the dozens of real estate brokers who these imposters are pretending to be.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
McKelway, who wrote for the magazine from the nineteen-thirties to the sixties, specialized in true-crime stories, bringing to life a gallery of scamps and swindlers and impostors.
—David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impostors
Noun
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Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some firms have also invested more heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to scale up efforts like text and image screening to better detect fakes and fraudsters.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Mar. 2026
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Plans are now underway for a contemporary reimagining of the series, which saw McShane play the eponymous roguish and fourth wall-breaking antiques dealer, a likeable anti-hero with a knack for recognizing genuine antiques from fakes or forgeries.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The quilt and shams are also reversible, featuring the same cozy texture on both sides.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Mar. 2026
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Matching toile shams with a rose-and-butterfly motif are a must as well.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impostors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impostors. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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