disguise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disguises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disguised,
past participle, past
-
disguising
present participle
-
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.
-
to conceal or cover up the truth or actual character of by a counterfeit form or appearance; misrepresent.
to disguise one's intentions.
noun
-
disguises
plural
-
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.
-
the makeup, mask, costume, or overall changed appearance of an entertainer.
a clown's disguise.
-
the act of disguising.
to speak without disguise.
-
the state of being disguised; masquerade.
The gods appeared in disguise.
verb
-
to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something)
-
(tr) to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaning
to disguise the facts
noun
-
a mask, costume, or manner that disguises
-
the act of disguising or the state of being disguised
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
disguisednessnoun
-
disguisementnoun
-
disguisernoun
-
predisguisenoun
-
disguisableadjective
-
disguisedadjective
-
nondisguisedadjective
-
undisguisableadjective
-
undisguisedadjective
-
well-disguisedadjective
-
disguisedlyadverb
-
undisguisedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disguisesimple
-
disguisessimple
-
have disguisedperfect
-
has disguisedperfect
-
am disguisingprogressive
-
are disguisingprogressive
-
is disguisingprogressive
-
have been disguisingperfect progressive
-
has been disguisingperfect progressive
Past
-
disguisedsimple
-
had disguisedperfect
-
was disguisingprogressive
-
were disguisingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Legend
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
creation myths
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It can be viewed as a blessing in disguise that Villa had to battle their way through and ride out the hosts' pressure to earn their first win of the season.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
But detecting them can be difficult, since Iran uses a complicated network of front companies and other means to disguise them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Iran uses foreign partners, front companies and other means to disguise the transactions, making them difficult to detect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Inspired by Talking Heads and Grace Jones, it's a record whose shimmering surfaces disguise lyrics of deep emotional complexity.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Reader, you and I know the monster was actually our robot in disguise.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Doctor Who first launched in 1963, and follows the adventures of an eccentric Time Lord who travels in a spaceship larger on the inside, that disguises itself as a 1960s British police box.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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
Feeling angrily outcast from her community, Mary tried to rise from her station by assuming a variety of disguises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
It’s just that the corn we eat wears many different disguises.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Now, at CBS News, her editorial interference has been disguised as routine management.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, Mehrotra says, total employment in agriculture has actually risen by 80 million people after 2020, a sure sign of disguised unemployment.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Legitimate safeguards play an important role; protectionism disguised as regulation shouldn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Colson Whitehead’s latest foray into the bent world of “reluctant fence” Ray Carney — “Cool Machine,” the third and final installment of his Harlem Trilogy — is an American epic disguised as a heist novel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It said that Mr. Maroney would send a friend of his, disguised as a book peddler, to call on the sister’s house this evening, and that Mrs. Maroney was to give over everything to him.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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
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
London has stables of lawyers and accountants experienced at disguising sources of wealth and who help clients obtain visas that grease the wheels of business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 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
That really hurt Mama, and we spent hours thinking of recipes that included cheese and disguising it so Pap wouldn’t know he was eating it.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
