disguise
Americanverb (used with object)
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disguises,
present (3rd person singular)
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disguised,
past participle, past
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disguising
present participle
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to change the appearance or guise of so as to conceal identity or mislead, as by means of deceptive garb.
The king was disguised as a peasant.
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to conceal or cover up the truth or actual character of by a counterfeit form or appearance; misrepresent.
to disguise one's intentions.
noun
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disguises
plural
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that which disguises; something that serves or is intended for concealment of identity, character, or quality; a deceptive covering, condition, manner, etc..
Noble words can be the disguise of base intentions.
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the makeup, mask, costume, or overall changed appearance of an entertainer.
a clown's disguise.
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the act of disguising.
to speak without disguise.
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the state of being disguised; masquerade.
The gods appeared in disguise.
verb
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to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something)
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(tr) to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaning
to disguise the facts
noun
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a mask, costume, or manner that disguises
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the act of disguising or the state of being disguised
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disguisednessnoun
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disguisementnoun
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disguisernoun
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predisguisenoun
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disguisableadjective
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disguisedadjective
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nondisguisedadjective
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undisguisableadjective
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undisguisedadjective
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well-disguisedadjective
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disguisedlyadverb
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undisguisedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disguisesimple
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disguisessimple
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have disguisedperfect
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has disguisedperfect
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am disguisingprogressive
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are disguisingprogressive
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is disguisingprogressive
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have been disguisingperfect progressive
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has been disguisingperfect progressive
Past
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disguisedsimple
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had disguisedperfect
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was disguisingprogressive
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were disguisingprogressive
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had been disguisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disguise
1275–1325; Middle English disg ( u ) isen < Anglo-French, Old French de ( s ) guiser, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -guiser, derivative of guise guise
Explanation
A disguise is something you put on so no one recognizes you. It also can be used as a verb. You can disguise yourself with a wig and mustache; that's a great disguise. Disguise can be used anytime you're talking about concealing or hiding something. Most of the time we think of a disguise as something you wear, but you can also disguise your feelings. Criminals might disguise their intentions. You can also use the word to describe something that seems to be one thing, but turns out to be another. You missed the plane, but then the plane crashed. That's a blessing in disguise.
Vocabulary lists containing disguise
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Legend
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creation myths
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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:
Winchester Crown Court heard Abdela, who is Eritrean, had also attempted to disguise the fact he had been driving the black inflatable across the Channel when it was approached by immigration officers.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The state accused Pike of filing “a second and successive habeas petition in disguise that presses a claim she already unsuccessfully presented.”
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
To prove they’re “amazing musicians,” Woody and Matthew disguise themselves to play a coffeehouse gig.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
She says she trained in disguise out of necessity before then in an effort to avoid being attacked, in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The other two saw his point, for who does not like to sneak about in disguise?
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
And as he studied positioning in the secondary, he acquired the answer key for the coverages and disguises that teams would one day deploy against him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
She disguises herself with a mask and a L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Researchers have identified a remarkable new spider species in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest that disguises itself as a parasitic fungus.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
They’ve also added NordWhisper, a stealth protocol launched in early 2025 that disguises VPN traffic as regular web browsing.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
No one recognized them, and they felt proud of their disguises.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Talarico, she said, is “evil disguised as goodness.”
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
"So really it's a misunderstood hotbed of feminist advancement - because it disguised its purposes so carefully."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Legitimate safeguards play an important role; protectionism disguised as regulation shouldn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
An Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to pursue her sporting dreams hopes her silver will inspire women in a country where their freedoms have been sharply curtailed.
From Barron's
It was still a book, and reading it would be better than listening to any more of Granddad’s insults disguised as life lessons.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
On the contrary, he has a long public record of being nasty to her in public, often — though not always — disguising his cruelty as “jokes.”
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Shell companies, often in Hong Kong, would order parts from Western suppliers while disguising that the ultimate destination was Iran or Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Anthropic found that the model engaged in a behavior called “alignment faking” — deliberately disguising its true reasoning and dangerous capabilities to avoid being restricted by people.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 18, 2026
Offering techniques including disguising users' data as different types of internet traffic, Psiphon "is able to evade detection more successfully", data and insights director Keith McManamen told AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
Belet had wrapped Kasusu in a white pillowcase and tied it across her back, disguising it as...a sword wrapped in a pillowcase.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
