- the act or an instance of deceiving others, esp by assuming a false identity
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•pos•ture
(im pos′chər),USA pronunciation n.
im•pos•trous
(im pos′trəs),USA pronunciation im•pos′tur•ous, adj.
- the action or practice of imposing fraudulently upon others.
- deception using an assumed character, identity, or name, as by an impostor.
- an instance or piece of fraudulent imposition.
- Late Latin impostūra, equivalent. to Latin impost(us) past participle of impōnere (see impostor, impone) + -ūra -ure
- 1530–40;
- 3. fraud, hoax, swindle, deception, humbug, cheat.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
imposture /ɪmˈpɒstʃə/ n
'imposture' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):