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:
But after 54 hours of work and several timely pep talks, Claude overcame its skepticism—and its case of impostor syndrome— and surprised itself with the result.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Reynolds’ impostor syndrome didn’t dissipate once she got to set, particularly as Episode 2 pits Alice against Rebecca.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 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 had paid the impostor at least $700 since February, he told her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
“We will have none of that,” the impostor Leanna North said.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Users who are flagged by a company as impostors would now have seven days instead of a longer period to prove they actually work at an organization before being removed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
The bill’s backers argue that permitting officers to disguise themselves creates scenarios where impostors may stop and detain migrants, which undermines public trust and ultimately hinders legitimate law enforcement operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 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
“Impostors? What impostors? I thought Gringotts had ways of revealing impostors? Who were they?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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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.
