camouflage
Americannoun
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camouflages
plural
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the act, means, or result of obscuring things to deceive an enemy, as by painting or screening objects so that they are lost to view in the background, or by making up objects that from a distance have the appearance of fortifications, guns, roads, etc..
Was camouflage used extensively on fighter aircraft during World War I?
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concealment by some means that alters or obscures the appearance.
Drab plumage provides the bird with camouflage against predators.
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a device or stratagem used for concealment.
His loud laughter is really camouflage for his basic shyness.
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clothing made of fabric with a mottled design, usually in shades of green and brown, as that used in military camouflage.
The street vendors are all selling camouflage this week: pants, jackets, T-shirts, even underwear!
adjective
verb (used with object)
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camouflages,
present (3rd person singular)
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camouflaged,
past participle, past
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camouflaging
present participle
verb (used without object)
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camouflages,
present (3rd person singular)
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camouflaged,
past participle, past
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camouflaging
present participle
noun
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the exploitation of natural surroundings or artificial aids to conceal or disguise the presence of military units, equipment, etc
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(modifier) (of fabric or clothing) having a design of irregular patches of dull colours (such as browns and greens), as used in military camouflage
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the means by which animals escape the notice of predators, usually because of a resemblance to their surroundings: includes cryptic and apatetic coloration
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a device or expedient designed to conceal or deceive
verb
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Protective coloring or another feature that conceals an animal and enables it to blend into its surroundings.
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Compare warning coloration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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camouflagernoun
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camouflageableadjective
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camouflagicadjective
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uncamouflagedadjective
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well-camouflagedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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camouflagesimple
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camouflagessimple
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have camouflagedperfect
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has camouflagedperfect
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am camouflagingprogressive
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are camouflagingprogressive
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is camouflagingprogressive
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have been camouflagingperfect progressive
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has been camouflagingperfect progressive
Past
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camouflagedsimple
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had camouflagedperfect
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was camouflagingprogressive
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were camouflagingprogressive
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had been camouflagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of camouflage
First recorded in 1915–20; from French, equivalent to camoufl(er) “to disguise” (probably a verbal derivative of camouflet ) + -age noun suffix; see camouflet, -age
Explanation
To camouflage is to disguise, and a camouflage is that which disguises — like the leaf-colored and patterned uniforms worn by soldiers who want to blend in with their natural surroundings. Camouflage evolved from the French camoufler, which was slang for “to disguise.” Camoufler itself most likely comes from camouflet, meaning “puff of smoke” — a puff of smoke that makes it hard to see things. Camouflaged clothing certainly hides hunters from their prey, but the word can also be used in a more figurative sense, as in camouflaging criticism by veiling it as a backhanded compliment.
Vocabulary lists containing camouflage
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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Life Science: Ecosystems
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
In dusty streets teeming with men in camouflage and scattered with wrecked military vehicles she scours for scenes of normality to post on the city social media pages.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Towed artillery is easier to hide among trees and camouflage, and doesn’t give off the same heat signature, making it easier to hide from drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
"I've been fascinated for a long time by the camouflage and disruptive patterning of moth wings," she added.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
The woman said he had gone with a companion, and both were dressed in camouflage.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
He’s wearing this army camouflage shirt, a brown cap, and the weirdest grin that could fit on a human face.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When Jack, patrolling alone in a heavy rain, sees Robert’s speeding van careen off a mountain road, he takes possession of the loot, camouflages the crash site and celebrates having become an instant millionaire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
I enter into my old neighborhood with a fluttering in my periphery where new construction or paint camouflages lines and angles and patches of scenery until the unmistakability of my childhood street reveals itself.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
One nocturnal bird called a Tawny Frogmouth woke up from where it usually camouflages as a rotting tree stump.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024
A swath of curtains in a blue-and-white graphic print neatly camouflages the storage shelves along one wall.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2022
“I hope Roz camouflages herself as a rock. Forever.”
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
Highly venomous and responsible for more fatal snake bites in Central America than any other species, the fer-de-lance is well camouflaged and can blend into plantation habitats, sometimes going unnoticed by workers.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
In the end, all that’s left is another thinly written woman in horror, camouflaged by tongue-in-cheek jokes and flimsy progressive ideas.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
Today, camouflaged National Guard troops patrol Uruapan with rifles nestled, or cruise the streets in pickup trucks mounted with machine guns.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
In 1993 it denied inspectors access to camouflaged nuclear sites, leaving the world to guess whether it had separated plutonium for bombs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
A ninja girl camouflaged in earth tones didn’t strike Leo as something he wanted to deal with just then.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Many cope by masking or camouflaging — suppressing autistic traits in order to fit in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Despite the solemn themes of his songs, Kahan avoids self-seriousness by regularly poking fun at his own lyrics, partially camouflaging anguished music behind comedic patter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Kieran Moulton, a PhD student at the University of the West of England, has conducted multiple studies into tattooing as a method of "camouflaging or decorating" scars.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
The flightless species comes in three camouflaging varieties, or morphs, that are inherited from one generation to the next.
From Science Magazine ● May 23, 2024
I press myself down against a thick cluster of roots, camouflaging myself as I’ve been taught.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
