impostor
Americannoun
-
impostors
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of impostor
1580–90; < Late Latin, equivalent to Latin impos ( i )-, variant stem of impōnere to deceive, place on ( see impone) + -tor -tor
Vocabulary lists containing impostor
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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"The Millionaire Miser"
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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:
“I always had this impostor syndrome at NYU, because that was where I first really confronted wealthy people,” she explains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
People reported losing $3.5 billion to impostor scams in 2025, nearly triple 2020’s level, the Federal Trade Commission said in a June report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
He said the "lone impostor" explanation did not add up.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In the spirit of full transparency, I immediately experienced almost debilitating impostor syndrome, but after several frantic phone calls to my agents, manager and therapist, I accepted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
“Human, how do I know you are who you say you are? How do I know you truly represent one of my children and are not an impostor? What proof do you have?”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Donna Jowers, owner of the real In & Out Bail Bonds, in Charlotte, N.C., has been fielding calls about such impostors for two years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Additionally, many AI impostors will be revealed this year as well; the 2026 equivalents to Pets.com will not make it through to 2027.”
From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026
There have been a few otable Rothschild impostors over the years, including Inna Yashchyshyn, who posed as Anna de Rothschild while visiting President Trumop’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025
Right now, dating apps are falling out of favor with those treasured demographics, not least thanks to the prevalence of catfishing impostors and nonstop deluges of fake dating options.
From Slate ● May 17, 2024
Maybe they’re not your parents at all, but impostors.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
