influencer

noun

in·​flu·​enc·​er ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)-sər 

 especially Southern  in-ˈflü-

plural influencers

: one who exerts influence : a person who inspires or guides the actions of others

The old theme of laziness and mellowness runs counter to today's influencers, who are businesspeople and upscale inspirational promoters of a go-getter way of life.

—John C. Dvorak

often, specifically : a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media

While Linh and other elite influencers are usually personally invited by hotel brands, an onslaught of lesser-known wannabes has left hotels scrambling to deal with a deluge of requests for all-expense-paid vacations in exchange for some social media posts.

—Taylor Lorenz

The woman who's been called the "future of fashion" has advice for aspiring Instagram influencers: Stop with the staged photos posing with croissants or balloons against a beautiful backdrop.

—Alix Langone

Examples of influencer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adidas also stresses that TV and movie stars, social media influencers and musical artists wear the three-stripe mark in connection with sponsorships. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2025

Magazine covers were for models—not pop stars and Oscar winners, and certainly not influencers. —Rachel Burchfield, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

And this event featuring Felton and other celebrities and influencers was designed to show fans that race cars don’t have to be roaring, gas-guzzling, pollution-spewing machines. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025

Asking untrained influencers and creators to do that same work without any training or guidance is setting them up for failure — or awkward apologies like Berner’s. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

influencer

noun

in·​flu·​enc·​er

: one who exerts influence : a person who inspires or guides the actions of others