alias
Americannoun
-
aliases
plural
adverb
adverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of alias
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin: “at another time, otherwise”; see also else
Explanation
Your alias could be as important as the name you use when you’re on the run or as simple as your screen name on a social networking site. Either way, an alias is a temporary name, one you don’t use all the time or for every occasion. If you crash your parents' lovingly-restored sports car into the garage when you aren't even supposed to be driving it, it might be easier to skip town and live under an assumed name, or alias, than deal with their reaction. Alias can also be used as an adverb to mean "also known as." Your parents might be less than thrilled when you introduce your new boyfriend, "John Smith, alias Lock-Jaw Johnnie, wanted in 39 states."
Vocabulary lists containing alias
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Bud, Not Buddy
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The Westing Game
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Once the video went viral, it appears Eatherly realized he was on to something and soon created his alias, Chud the Builder.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Citing law enforcement sources, NBC4 reported that Fisher, under the alias Richard Graydon, worked as an executive at Immix Biopharma, a biotech pharmaceutical company in West Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias 'Nino Guerrero,' was "neutralized" in southeastern Bolivar state, Venezuela's Ministry of Communications said in a statement Friday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
Pauken moved to China in 2010 and worked under the alias Tom McGregor as his father didn’t wish to appear associated with the son’s activities in China, according to prosecution documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Turning to the crowd of spectators, he said, lifting my hand high up, “This here is Muhammad Ali, alias Cassius Clay.”
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
People signed up their pets, used aliases and played games with mailing addresses to bilk the company out of new releases for less than the cost of a penny.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
The workers often juggle multiple aliases simultaneously, and can hold down several jobs under each stolen name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Graydon’s real name, federal authorities said, was Ronald L. Fischer, and he was a Rhode Island fugitive who used more than a dozen aliases to avoid capture for more than 20 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
So, using their aliases, Richard Quintas and Henry Kaynor, they registered at the Martinique, a deluxe hotel on Forty-Ninth Street.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
