impostor

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɪmˈpɒstər/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ɪmˈpɑstɚ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(im pos′tər)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
im•pos•tor or im•post•er /ɪmˈpɑstɚ/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. one who pretends to be another in order to deceive someone:One of these is an impostor; can you figure out which?
See -pos-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
im•pos•tor  (im pos′tər),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a person who practices deception under an assumed character, identity, or name.
Also, im•post′er. 
  • Late Latin, equivalent. to Latin impos(i)-, variant stem of impōnere to deceive, place on (see impone) + -tor -tor
  • 1580–90

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
impostor, imposter / ɪmˈpɒstə/
  1. a person who deceives others, esp by assuming a false identity; charlatan
Etymology: 16th Century: from Late Latin: deceiver; see impose
'impostor' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Cagliostro - Warbeck - bunyip - charlatan - cheat - counterfeit - expose - exposure - faitour - fake - humbug - imposture - ringer

Forum discussions with the word(s) "impostor" in the title:


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