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Synonyms

poser

1 American  
[poh-zer] / ˈpoʊ zər /

noun

  1. a person who poses.

  2. a poseur, especially a person who is trendy or fashionable in a superficial way.

poser 2 American  
[poh-zer] / ˈpoʊ zər /

noun

  1. a question or problem that is puzzling or confusing.

poser 1 British  
/ ˈpəʊzə /

noun

  1. a person who poses

  2. informal a person who likes to be seen in trendsetting clothes in fashionable bars, discos, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
poser 2 British  
/ ˈpəʊzə /

noun

  1. a baffling or insoluble question

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of poser1

First recorded in 1885–90; pose 1 + -er 1

Origin of poser2

First recorded in 1580–90; pose 2 + -er 1

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.

He was also a steely, secretive poser who worked overtime to airbrush his image.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

People will call him a poser and he feels like a poser himself.

From Salon • May 20, 2024

Buffy is a Buff-Orpington Sussex cross and is "a bit of a show-off and a bit of a poser", said her owner.

From BBC • May 7, 2023

He is a great poser of riddles, but also also an ingenious solver of problems.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2021

He was a poser, a braggart, and a tyrant.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

Definitions 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.