camouflage

American  

[kam-uh-flahzh] / ˈkæm əˌflɑʒ /

noun

• camouflages
  plural

1. 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?

2. concealment by some means that alters or obscures the appearance.

   Drab plumage provides the bird with camouflage against predators.

3. a device or stratagem used for concealment.

   His loud laughter is really camouflage for his basic shyness.

   Synonyms:

   cover, front, blind, mask

4. 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!

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adjective

1. (of fabric or clothing) made with or having a mottled design, as that used in military camouflage.

   a camouflage T-shirt.

verb (used with object)

• camouflages,
  present (3rd person singular)
• camouflaged,
  past participle,  past
• camouflaging
  present participle

1. to disguise by means of camouflage.

   to camouflage ships by painting them gray.

   Synonyms:

   dissimulate, trick, deceive, mask, conceal, hide, dissemble

verb (used without object)

• camouflages,
  present (3rd person singular)
• camouflaged,
  past participle,  past
• camouflaging
  present participle

1. to use camouflage.

   The angel shark camouflages in the sand.

camouflage British  

/ ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ /

noun

1. the exploitation of natural surroundings or artificial aids to conceal or disguise the presence of military units, equipment, etc

2. (modifier) (of fabric or clothing) having a design of irregular patches of dull colours (such as browns and greens), as used in military camouflage

3. the means by which animals escape the notice of predators, usually because of a resemblance to their surroundings: includes cryptic and apatetic coloration

4. a device or expedient designed to conceal or deceive

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verb

1. (tr) to conceal by camouflage

camouflage Scientific  

/ kăm′ə-fläzh′ /

1. Protective coloring or another feature that conceals an animal and enables it to blend into its surroundings.

2. Compare warning coloration

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• camouflager
  noun
• camouflageable
  adjective
• camouflagic
  adjective
• uncamouflaged
  adjective
• well-camouflaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• camouflages
  plural

Participles

• camouflaging
  present
• camouflaged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• camouflage
  simple
• camouflages
  simple
• have camouflaged
  perfect
• has camouflaged
  perfect
• am camouflaging
  progressive
• are camouflaging
  progressive
• is camouflaging
  progressive
• have been camouflaging
  perfect progressive
• has been camouflaging
  perfect progressive

Past

• camouflaged
  simple
• had camouflaged
  perfect
• was camouflaging
  progressive
• were camouflaging
  progressive
• had been camouflaging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will camouflage
  simple
• will have camouflaged
  perfect
• will be camouflaging
  progressive
• will have been camouflaging
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camouflage camouflages camouflaged camouflaging

Visitors were greeted by security forces in flak jackets, some in military camouflage and others toting submachine guns, scattered amid a landscape of green pastures, wooden chalets and snowy peaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 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

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

It offers a fluffy kind of camouflage when you want to hide from the world’s troubles.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

Thunder rumbles in the distance as Unremarkables in camouflage come over.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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

They’re small, kidney-shaped, and come in color-coordinated shades, which camouflages them to near-invisibility.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024

One nocturnal bird called a Tawny Frogmouth woke up from where it usually camouflages as a rotting tree stump.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024

“I hope Roz camouflages herself as a rock. Forever.”

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

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

On a tree trunk in Thailand's Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area, a tiny male broad-headed bark spider rides on the abdomen of a camouflaged female, waiting for her to moult so he can mate.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

In the year after fire swept through Altadena, man and nature have camouflaged the destruction, to some extent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026

Their first line of defense was a long rocky ridge, heavily fortified, but so camouflaged that we didn’t know it was there.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Masking, camouflaging, trying to blend in - this is what women with autism have been practising to navigate a world that for decades did not even recognise their existence.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

White walls would cede to green foliage, effectively camouflaging the facade—but also playing into the hands of critics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

“I think I’m a fairly earnest person, and that’s gotten me in trouble,” Strong insists, “but I’m not interested in camouflaging or disguising myself. Life is too short.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 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

Related Words

• cloak
• conceal
• cover
• disguise
• hide
• mask
• obscure