name-dropper

[neym-drop-er]

noun

1. a person who indulges in name-dropping.

Word History and Origins

Origin of name-dropper¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

He’s a compulsive name-dropper, peppering his speeches with boring stories whose only point is to exaggerate his relationship to famous people.

From Salon

In Argentinean filmmaker Laura Casabé’s “The Virgin of Quarry Lake,” a name-dropper incites violence just being adjacent to celebrity.

From Los Angeles Times

In an interview, Mr. Buffett said Mr. Kives was a “name-dropper” who “might pitch that he has a connection to me, but he doesn’t.”

From New York Times

He joins a class taught by Gene, a washed-up name-dropper — he makes restaurant reservations as “Neil Patrick Harris” — who has covered the walls of his acting studio with posters of plays he produced, directed and starred in, including a gray-haired turn as Peter Pan.

From New York Times

Baker is an All-Star name-dropper, having casually mentioned interactions with 11-time NBA champ Bill Russell, basketball Hall of Famer Moses Malone and John F. Kennedy Jr. in recent months.

From Washington Times