impostor

English

Alternative forms

• imposter
• impostour (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɪmˈpɒstə/, SAMPA: /Im"pQst@/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ɪmˈpɑstɚ/, SAMPA: /Im"pAst@`/
• Hyphenation: im‧pos‧tor

Noun

impostor (plural impostors)

1. Someone who attempts to deceive by using an assumed name or identity.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XX:

     “I said he had a criminal face.” “He can't help his face.” “He can help being a crook and an impostor. Calls himself a butler, does he? The police could shake that story. He's no more a butler than I am.”

Synonyms

• impersonator
• See also Wikisaurus:deceiver

Translations

someone who uses assumed identity

Dutch: bedrieger (nl) m. Finnish: huijari (fi), toiseksi tekeytyjä (fi) French: imposteur (fr) m., impostrice (fr) f. German: Hochstapler (de) m., Betrüger (de) m. Italian: impostore (it) m.

Portuguese: impostor (pt) m., impostora (pt) f. Romanian: impostor (ro), impostoare (ro) f. Russian: самозванец (ru) (samozvánec) m. Serbo-Croatian: samozvanac (sh), varalica (sh) Spanish: impostor (es) m., impostora (es) f.

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Spanish

Noun

impostor m. (plural impostores, feminine singular impostora, feminine plural impostoras)

1. impostor