impostor

American  

[im-pos-ter] / ɪmˈpɒs tər /

Or imposter

noun

1. a person who practices deception under an assumed character, identity, or name.

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impostor British  

/ ɪmˈpɒstə /

noun

1. a person who deceives others, esp by assuming a false identity; charlatan

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Etymology

Origin of impostor

1580–90; < Late Latin, equivalent to Latin impos ( i )-, variant stem of impōnere to deceive, place on ( impone ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Days later, a note was sent directly to the Guthrie family, allegedly from a man living in Hawthorne, that authorities say was an impostor.

From Los Angeles Times

With every impostor removed from your life, more space is created for your person to move in.

From Los Angeles Times

He warned of opportunists and said law enforcement had made an arrest over an “impostor ransom demand.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“We will have none of that,” the impostor Leanna North said.

From Literature

He warned of “impostors who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation,” and said federal authorities had arrested someone in connection with an “impostor ransom demand.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• con artist
• hypocrite