noun
impostor
ihm-POS-tuh
noun
1
Someone who pretends to be another person in order to deceive people.
"The man turned out to be an impostor posing as a police officer."
"She felt like an impostor at the conference, surrounded by real experts."
2
In video games and 3D graphics, a flat image made to look like a full 3D object from a distance.
"The game uses impostors for distant trees to save processing power."
How to Use Impostor
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone (or something) pretending to be what it isn't.
Common mistake
Often misspelled "imposter" — both spellings are widely accepted, but "impostor" is the more traditional form.
Common pairings
an impostor syndrome
expose an impostor
pose as an impostor
Word Forms
impostors plural
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The man turned out to be an _____ posing as a police officer.
Etymology
From Middle French imposteur, ultimately from Latin impositor, "one who imposes" — related to the verb impose.