name-dropping

[neym-drop-ing]

noun

1. the introduction into one's conversation, letters, etc., of the names of famous or important people as alleged friends or associates in order to impress others.

name-dropping

noun

1. informal,  the practice of referring frequently to famous or fashionable people, esp as though they were intimate friends, in order to impress others

Other Word Forms

• name-dropper noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of name-dropping¹

First recorded in 1945–50