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:
Yet the formidable English army of kinsman Malcolm, rightful heir to murdered King Duncan, approached Dunsinane using branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Usually, the bright pink bugs are eaten by birds due to their inability to camouflage, making them a "once-in-a-lifetime find", the trust added.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
He said the mother said guns were missing and that her son left with a companion wearing camouflage outfits.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
There were the elderly volunteers busily weaving camouflage nets in an Odesa community center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
“But sturdier than wood we now are—and the pale green of things is a better camouflage against the sky and sea. It protects us from the loathsome, scanning eyes of the beasts.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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
The planet noises are so loud I can’t hear, so I slide closer, hoping my gray jumpsuit camouflages me enough that they won’t pay any attention to me.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
On Wednesday, the White House released dramatic video footage of the raid that showed camouflaged soldiers dropping down on to the Skipper from a helicopter, and walking its deck, weapons drawn.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025
The iron monsters behind the throne were unanimated and camouflaged to look like part of the statues.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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
“There’s one camouflaging over there,” she said, pointing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
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
While the rabbit cooks, I grind up part of a charred branch and set about camouflaging my orange pack.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
