name-dropping

American  

[neym-drop-ing] / ˈneɪmˌdrɒp ɪŋ /

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.

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name-dropping British  

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

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Other Word Forms

• name-dropper noun

Etymology

Origin of name-dropping

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The plot’s a clever, multilayered caper, echoing the elaborate structure the movie is named for, and Rian Johnson fills the script with funny name-dropping … .

From Seattle Times

It also came after Mr. Biden targeted Mr. Scott — without name-dropping him — in the State of the Union speech when he said some Republicans want to put Social Security on the chopping block.

From Washington Times

Excessive name-dropping is one of the running gags that makes the movie so much fun — and that’s as much as I’ll say about the plot.

From Seattle Times

The name-dropping continues at a shamelessly furious pace, as both verbal checks and increasingly funny cameos, which accumulate into one big absurdist in-joke.

From Washington Post

Their host is a smug, name-dropping, eminently punchable billionaire whose resemblance to a certain newly installed social-media titan could scarcely have been better planned or timed.

From Los Angeles Times