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:
Translation: This Vision has a purpose beyond figuring out his role in this world, something he put off by hiding in a pub under the alias of Sherwood Ellis and posing as human.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Cong has bewildered opponents at weigh-ins while wearing the face paint, and says she even adopts the Joker alias when using social media messaging back home in China.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
She already had the beauty and brains, all she’d need was an alias, a leotard and a notebook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
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
That name had alias writ all over it!
From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
He says he has a few clients who are so secretive, he doesn’t know their real identity; they use aliases on the paperwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
They had checked into the hotel using authentic Lebanese passports under aliases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Authorities said others arrested Wednesday had aliases including “Pollo,” “Ghost,” “Snowbella,” “Lil Speedy” and “Monkey.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
His real name was Johannes Siegfried Becker, but he had dozens of aliases and more than one false passport.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
